End of Line
by morbidbirdy
Summary: 1x3, 3x4 Tron crossover co-written with Black-Haired Girl. Duo dreamed of what life would be like on The Grid. Soon that dream becomes a nightmare as he realizes his existence in this new world is dangerous. With the help of Security Program Trowa and a glitchy program named Heero, he embarks on a journey to seek help from a mysterious entity known as the Gatekeeper.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**

The Grid, the legendary Tron System, has always intrigued Duo Maxwell. After years of dreaming and months of tireless work, he finally receives the final part he needs to unlock the door to the digital frontier. A blast of a digitizing laser later he finds himself in the world of his dreams. However, soon that dream becomes a nightmare as he comes to realize that his existence in this new world is both a danger to him and to the programs who reside there. With the help of Security Program Trowa and a mysteriously damaged and glitchy program named Heero, he embarks on a journey through The Grid to seek help from a mysterious entity known as the Gatekeeper. Will he be able to get out of the Tron System, or will the organizations who are hunting him manage to derez him first?

 **Author Notes:**

This is a Gundam Wing/Tron Legacy crossover written by Black-Haired Girl and myself, originally posted over on AO3. Main pairing is 1x3 with a bit of 3x4.  
For progress updates, reference material and related artwork please find us on tumblr at gw-endofline  
Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Aegis?!"

He could hear the desperation and panic in his companion's voice. It wasn't often that his normally stoic lover showed anything but focus and determination in the face of adversity. Aegis could tell he was scared. He could feel his fear manifest within his own chest.

"Ancile," he croaked hoarsely. "I'm here..." He tried to force more power into his voice but despite his best efforts his words seemed to vanish as soon as they were released.

He peered up through the darkness at the white light-lined edge of the obsidian cliff twenty-five stories above. He could barely make out the faintly glowing outline of his partner as he stood on the edge, looking down into the gloom in search of him.

He had fallen into a pitch black chasm, and while the fall itself hadn't derezzed him his legs had been rendered useless and a deep, pixelated gash on his left shoulder made the use of his left arm impossible. He groaned in pain, pushed himself up to a half-sit with his right arm and groped around in the darkness for his baton, which had fallen out of his hand when he fell.

The low, resounding hum of incoming recognizers filled the air as the massive vehicles came to supply the enemy purgers with more troops. He knew that if Ancile didn't get out of there he was going to be captured, or worse derezzed. Ancile had to protect Elios and he had to guard the Gate.

"Aegis?! Can you hear me?!" The sound of his name being called out so despairingly caused Aegis's eyes to involuntarily fill with radiant, cyan tears. The terror in the other program's voice was foreign. He had never heard him sound so fearful before. He wanted to reassure him that he was there and that he still existed, but the now deafening roar of the incoming enemy became too great for him to yell over. The ground beneath him began to vibrate as the enormous recognizers grew closer.

"Come on, we've got to go! NOW! Ancile, he's gone! We must go!" Asher's voice bellowed through the din of the battle raging on the cliff above him.

"He's there! I'm not leaving him behind!"

"Think of your function! Do you deny your directive? Go! We must get to the Gate!" Their fellow Aether guard commanded. Aegis frowned. He knew that Asher was right and he could feel the tension of Ancile's struggle at their fellow guard's words. Through their shared connection Aegis felt his lover's frustration. However, the sensation quickly transformed. He felt his reluctance, and then finally steeled resolve.

The thin, invisible thread that bound them together became taut as his other half retreated. Aegis felt his entire body tense as their connection pulled tighter and strained as the distance grew between them. Finally it snapped with a painful, violent jolt. The anxiety and fear that his lover had once projected to him began to fade away as their physical beings were forced further apart.

Soon he felt nothing of his second half and for the first time since they were both compiled he was completely alone.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into the darkness. He looked up at the empty, black cliff and watched as its edge filled with the bright red, glowing shapes of Clu's Black Guard. _I've failed._

* * *

Churning, cool aquamarine waters roiled overhead, glistening with mid-afternoon sunbeams as the sharp undertow of the retreating wave tugged at Duo's legs as it attempted to suck him away from the shoreline. He kicked hard against its pull and swam as hard as he could up, in the direction of the oblong, black silhouette that was his wayward surfboard. He broke the water's surface with a loud gasp followed by an unrestrained, excited laugh.

"Woo! Now THAT was a phat wave!" he yelled to nobody in particular as he groped the water near his ankles for the tether that connected him to his white and neon green shortboard, which was attempting to ride the next incoming curl on its own. He reeled it in by its tether and flopped his wetsuit-clad torso across its waxy deck as he tried to catch his breath.

"DUO! HEY, DUO!" A familiar voice broke through the crashing roar of the high surf from the direction of the beach. Duo heaved himself up to a sit on his bobbing board and shaded his eyes as he peered back at the sand. He spotted Howard on the shore standing ankle-deep in the water with an unlit cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth holding something clutched in an upraised fist.

"Oi! Howie, what's up?!" he yelled at his old friend. He flopped down onto his belly and began to paddle the board to the shore.

"I've got the thing!" Howard yelled, his voice accented with excitement.

"The thing?" Duo muttered to himself as he casually rode in on the waves. "What thing… oh shit, what? The thing!" He exclaimed excitedly as he realized just what the 'thing' was. He paddles his arms frantically through the water as he rode the board in. When he neared the water's foamy edge he stood up and jumped hurriedly off of the board as it skid to a stop. A few paces later he was lying face-first with a mouth full of sand. He had completely forgotten about the ankle tether.

Howard's belly laugh accompanied Duo's gagging and dry coughing as he dragged himself up from the sand, yanked the tether angrily from his ankle and stumbled over to him.

"Oh shit, man, I can't believe it!" Duo panted as he attempted to dust off the thin crust of white sand that coated the entire front side of his body. "Where did you find it?"

Howard held up a polished lens the size of a clementine for Duo's inspection. "Found it after our last dredge," the older man replied with a satisfied smile. "Some guy who worked out in California had it, said he scrapped this from some old arcade. Wanted a pretty penny for it, too."

Duo frowned. "Arcade? Like… _the arcade?_ " He grasped his braid with both hands and began to wring the saltwater from of it, his expression stunned. "3882 Watseka Ave, Culver City, California?" He recited the legendary address from memory the way a priest could cite scripture from the Holy Book.

"Well, he didn't say all that," Howard admitted as he rolled the lens between his forefinger and thumb and admired how it caught and concentrated the bright afternoon light.

"How much did he charge you for it?' Duo asked as he peeled off the arms and upper torso of his black wetsuit. "How much do I owe ya?"

Howard chuckled. "He wanted fifty-thousand for it," he began. Duo scoffed loudly in response. "But I ended up winning it in a game of darts, so this one's for free."

Duo's grin stretched from ear to ear. He hurriedly peeled the remainder of his wetsuit from his body, grabbed his board from the sand and hauled it all in the direction of his seaside bungalow which stood nestled beneath a cluster of lush, windswept palms. He leaned his board up against the peeling red, orange and yellow painted slats and quickly draped his wetsuit across a nearby weatherbeaten beach chair. He wiped off the remainder of the sand from his hands against his damp purple and swim trunks before he made a toddler-style grabbing gesture with both hands at Howard, who handed his prize over with a satisfied smile.

"This is custom. This is definitely custom made, I mean… look at this. The optical axis looks like it has that thick, specialized AR coating like the kind Flynn said he made, so…" Duo was mumbling to himself as he carefully handled the lens while he inspected it. Howard propped his hands up on his hips and chewed the end of his cigar as he watched Duo study his new part.

"So what are you using all of this stuff for anyway? It's like you've been collecting things for months," Howard asked curiously. He peered over his dark, tinted sunglasses and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Seven months, twenty-two days, thirteen hours…" Duo reported with a smirk.

"You're counting the hours?!" Howard asked incredulously.

"Nah, I'm just kiddin'..." Duo replied before he trudged across the sand in the direction of the front door of the bungalow. "It's been only nine hours, thirty-one minutes and sixteen seconds, seventeen seconds, eighteen seconds…" he chanted as skipped up the steps to the door.

Howard chuckled. "So you're not gonna let me in? Not even after that amazing find?"

Duo paused with his hand on the doorknob. He smiled and eyed the older man over his shoulder. "Maybe. One day. I promise, if I ever get the damn thing to work you'll be the first person I show it to."

Howard tossed his hands in the air in a gesture of defeat. "Well then, see ya later kid," he grumbled around his cigar before he turned on his heels and hobbled away down the beach.

Duo watched him go until he was nothing more than a shrinking dot on the shore before he dug his key from the small, hidden pocket in the waistband of his swim trunks and unlocked the door. As he slipped inside he flicked the light switch to illuminate the hidden, packed hoard of computers, wires, server racks and white, cardboard comic book storage boxes within. Rainbow cascades of wires and cords spilled across the floor and poured forth from the blinking, humming server racks. Despite the two air conditioning units roaring at full blast on either side of the crammed room it was still uncomfortably warm and stuffy from the excessive amount of electronics whirring and buzzing from every corner of the single-room bungalow.

He hopped over a zip tied cluster of power cords and padded up to a large video game arcade cabinet tucked away in the far right corner of the room. The cabinet itself had seen better days. Its sides were slightly warped. The right side had a large, vertical crack in the wood that was held together with neon blue duct tape. Its black varnish had faded off in spots and the decals had long since peeled off, leaving only the remnants of dry, adhesive behind.

Duo approached the cabinet reverently with the lens clutched tightly in hand.

"This is it! I've got your last piece, baby!" He exclaimed. He dug around in a nearby milk crate and fished out a small polishing cloth and began furiously wiping down the lens.

He was beyond excited, he was ecstatic. After months of searching, tinkering, building and creative jury rigging his plans were finally coming to fruition. He had the last piece of the puzzle. It had taken months to acquire what he needed to complete the digitizing laser, and the lens was the final piece what would, hopefully, gain him access to the Tron System, a legendary digital world.

Duo had first heard of Tron and the works of Kevin Flynn at a very young age. He had overheard a few of Howard's Sweeper pals joking around and telling stories about the digital frontier as if it were merely an urban legend. Maybe he was merely acting on the obsessions of a fantastical childish mind, but he had always felt that it was real and that it was still there, ubiquitous and just beneath the surface of every piece of technology that he encountered.

Finding a way in became a passion that gradually evolved into a moderate obsession. He began studying computer science and engineering in college simply to facilitate his search for the gateway into a world he knew just had to exist.

Real life soon fell by the wayside as he began to commit every ounce of energy and free time to his personal quest. He failed out of school and ended up drifting for nearly a year with Howard and the Sweeper Group until he could get his feet back on the ground. To get by he scrapped and started to do odd hacking jobs, contracted programming and bug bounties under an alias for extra cash to put into his pet project.

Soon his hacker moniker "BL^CKWYND_SHINIG∀M1" became well-known in the Darknet. Eventually he had to start turning down jobs and contracts to make time for his personal project. He had amassed enough income to go into what he liked to call " _temporary retirement",_ purchased the bungalow on a secluded beach on Oahu in cash and for the past six months had dedicated the majority of his time to finding a way into his personal mythical Land of Oz, the Tron System.

He had studied all of Kevin Flynn's old publications and books. The texts were nothing but classic science fiction by the general population but Duo considered the contents of those books a literal map that could direct him into the digitized world.

He carefully set the lens aside and grabbed a black rectangular box from the top of the antique arcade cabinet that housed the laser head and diode. He gathered it up with the new lens, set it on a nearby workbench and began the tedious task of installing the new pump focusing lens Howard had won for him. After nearly an hour of intricate work there was a knock on the door. He scowled down at his nearly completed project. There was no way he was going to tear himself from his task, especially considering how close he was to finally finishing. He dipped his fingers back into the laser housing and flinched as a fist banged the door again, louder this time.

"Nobody's home!"

"Fo'real, haole?! You think we bakatare?!" A familiar child's voice sounded through the door.

"Huh? Nah! Hold up!" Duo yelled back. He set his tools to the side and hopped off of his stool, jumped over the chaotic jumble of wires and surge protectors on the floor and opened the door. Three round, cheerful faces grinned up at him.

"Duo! Why you lyin'?!" six-year-old Makaio asked as his darkly tanned face morphed into a scowl.

"Sorry, sorry guys," he said hurriedly as he forced his body through the door and slammed it closed behind himself. "I was busy, is all."

"You're always busy," the eldest, nine-year-old Kahili, complained. "Can we come in and see now? Or you still keepin' it kapu?"

"Yeah, I heard you got video games in there!" Puanani exclaimed as she rolled and tugged her two long, black braided pigtails eagerly with both hands. For being seven-years-old she was just as tall as her older brother, Kahili.

"Video games?" Duo echoed as his smile turned upside down into a frown. "Who told you that?"

"Dem wave hogs who surf over on the atoll! You know, the big hairy 'n ugly one with the pinapple tattoo! He says you're hidin' your video games in there and that you're lolo," Makaio explained with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his sandy head. It was obvious that the statement had bothered him. The boy had grown rather fond of him since he had moved there, and he had a feeling he was more offended by the comment than he was.

Duo knew that there had been rumors floating around the island about him that he was always holed up in his bungalow doing something secretive. The standing rumor for the past few months had been that he was running a meth lab on the beach. After a few unexpected visits from the island's VICE police division he figured those rumors would eventually be squashed, but he had no idea that the new word on the street was about videogames. He had been especially careful not to mention his work to anyone on the island so he was surprised to hear this news. Word tended to travel fast and he began to wonder just who started this rumor, and how much they actually knew.

"Well, I do have some video games," he confirmed to the kids with a grin as he leaned his back against the closed door. He crossed his arms over his bare chest and eyed them closely. "And I am pretty crazy, so they're not wrong there."

"Why won't you let us see 'em?" Kahili asked, "I thought we're friends?"

Duo sighed. "Well yeah, of course! You guys are the coolest 'lil keikis I know," he attempted to assure them with a smile. They weren't buying it.

"You won't show us your video games, and here we brought you some of that manapua you like!" Puanani pointed at a crumpled white paper bag clutched in the little Makaio's hand. If Duo had dog ears they would have perked at the mention of his favorite Hawaiian snack. He could go the rest of his life eating nothing but those delectable barbeque-pork filled buns.

"Oh? For me, you say?" he said with a predatory grin. Makaio screamed and turned on his heels to run. He darted off in the direction of the water with a series of shrill, excited shrieks.

"Run, Makaio, run! He's mean, no manapua for him!" Puanani laughed. Duo smirked and launched himself from the deck of his bungalow to chase after the little boy, who was quickly approaching the water's edge.

"Don't waste perfectly good food!" Duo whined.

"Show me your games!" Makaio wailed as his feet splashed into the surf. He stopped knee-deep in the water and spun around with the bag held high over his head as he threatened to dunk it into the ocean. Duo skid to a stop as his toes were licked by the waves and laughed.

"You wanna play my games that bad, huh?" he chuckled between pants. "Fine-fine, just don't ruin the buns, okay?"

The little boy laughed and sloshed happy back in the direction of the bungalow with an accomplished smile. He's gonna let us play!" he exclaimed happily to his siblings.

"Eh? No foolin'?" Kahili's face illuminated with surprise. Duo had known these kids for months and never once were they allowed inside his bungalow. He figured that if the entire island was going to be in on his business he might as well feed into it a little bit. He knew that if he showed the kids a good time and let them mess around a little they would run to tell anyone who would listen that they were over at his place playing games. He hoped that the innocence of the story would satisfy the locals and maybe get them to shift their curiosity to someone else.

Little Makaio shoved the now damp bag of pork buns eagerly into Duo's hands before running up to the bungalow to meet his older brother and sister, who were already stumbling over one another to get through the door to see inside. He paused just outside of the door to slap the sand loose from the bottoms of his feet before following them.

"Oooh! What's that? And what's this? Can I have this? What is this thing here?" Puanani was chirping cheerfully as she poked around the shelves of equipment.

"Your house is messy," Makaio observed loudly as he made a show of jumping over a cluster of extension cords. "Do you sleep up there?" He pointed up at the worn red and blue hammock suspended across the backside of the small, crowded space.

"Yup. And no, you can't have that," Duo said quickly as he plucked a wad of explosive Semtex putty from Puanani's hands as she bad begun to mold it into what appeared to be a penguin. Or maybe it was a velociraptor? He quickly darted across the room, stumbled around her older brother Kahili and shoved the wad of putty into the refrigerator.

"This is just old junk," Makaio said, ever the frank small child. "There are no games."

"That's a video game, you dummy," his older brother snarled as he pointed to the massive, dilapidated arcade machine in the corner. The boy approached the cabinet with interest and let his fingertips trace the coin slot mechanism on the front. "Does this work? Is this the videogame everyone keeps sayin' is makin' you lolo?"

Duo sighed. "Yeah, that's the one."

Puanani was picking at what little of the original instruction decal that remained around the cracked and faded blue joystick. "It's old, an' it's ugly," she muttered, clearly unimpressed.

"Hey! Stop it!" Kahili yelled as he slapped his younger sister's hands away from the machine. "You're ruining it."

"It's already ruined," Puanani said in a haughty voice. "Look, it doesn't even work."

"That's cuz it isn't plugged in," Kahili said smartly as he pointed to the power cord lying on the floor by their feet.

"I don't want to play it. It looks boring, like a game momma and fadda played back in the olden times," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't want to play no stupid games."

Duo fished around in the damp paper bag for a pork bun and bit into it happily as he stood back and watched Kihili defend his admittedly grotesque hunk of junk from his sister. Little Makaio hopped over and shoved his meaty hand into the bag and joined him.

"It's stupid."

"Is not! It's classic, amirite, Duo?" Kahili asked as he peered over his shoulder for affirmation.

"Yep. That's a classic," Duo said in a muffled voice through a mouthful of bun. He swallowed hard and coughed. "Sorry to say it isn't workin' right now, though."

"Awww, you said we could play games!' Makaio whined.

"Nah, I said you could _see_ 'em. Well, there it is." Duo said with a grin as he gestured to the darkened arcade machine.

"Awwwwwww, mannn." Makaio deflated and kicked at a bundle of cable by his bare feet. "You makin' things up and tellin' stories again. We go!" The little boy scowled up at him before dragging his pouty ass out of the bungalow.

"Lame, lame, lame," Puanani chanted as she stomped out through the door in pursuit of her younger brother. Kahili hung back just inside the door and cast a curious glance at the arcade machine.

"You ever gonna have it workin'," he asked curiously.

"Yeah, someday." Duo smiled.

"Shoots den, Duo," the boy said as he gave him a little a wave.

"Yeah, okay. Mahalo for the buns, guys," Duo called after him as he vanished out onto the beach. He secured the door and locked the two deadbolts at the top before he rushed back to his workbench to finish the laser. Finally after another twenty minutes it was ready to install. He slid on a pair of white anti-static gloves and carefully installed the laser housing onto the digitizer power cell and concentrator. He made sure everything was properly connected and ran through his mental checklist he had formulated by months of study and deconstruction of Kevin Flynn's ENCOM notes and published research papers.

"Okay. This is it," he said proudly as he took a step back to admire his handiwork. It wasn't the prettiest thing to look at, but after years of dreaming and months of tedious preparation it was finally done. He had, to his knowledge, successfully completed what he considered the closest thing to the completed, original Tron Arcade Machine. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He peeled off the white gloves and tossed them on the workbench before crouching down to connect its power source. The machine itself required more power than the average arcade game normally consumed and he had spent two weeks building a custom hook-up with a built-in circuit breaker that could accommodate the energy required to boot and run such a sophisticated piece of machinery. Once everything was safely connected he reached over and flipped the red light switch on the wall behind the cabinet to allow power to feed into the machine. He quickly stepped back, excited to watch the blue, glowing grid and title screen flash on the darkened monitor.

Except nothing happened. He blinked, frowned and waited a few moments to give it a chance to change its mind.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?" He stalked up to the red switch and toggled it a few times before he checked the monitor again. It was still black. Nothing had activated.

He felt the heavy, oppressive weight of disappointment and frustration settle in his chest.

 _I should have known better,_ he thought bitterly as he approached the front of the cabinet to scowl down into the blackened monitor. _Nothing ever goes my way. Nothing can ever be that fuckin' easy._

He knew he was close. He was so close he could almost taste it. He thought that the lens was the last thing he had needed, and he began to chastise himself for getting his hopes up and for being too eager and excited. Maybe he had rushed something? Maybe he was missing a crucial piece?

"Or maybe you really are just a big 'ol hunk of fuckin' junk," he said irritably. He swung his leg back and planted a hard kick against the front fascia of the cabinet with his bare foot, and immediately regretted it.

"Oww, for fuck's sake!" He lifted grabbed his now sore big toe and hopped around white muttering choice obscenities, unaware that the monitor within the cabinet had activated.

A few perky 8-BIT notes chimed melodically as the white, blue and red-lined letters "T R O N" illuminated the center of the screen. His head shot up at the sound of the introduction music and before he could say anything else the laser above his head clicked, hummed and then burst to life. Blinding, cyan-colored light shot out of the laser head and captured him within it's widely flared beam.

He couldn't move and he couldn't scream as his body began to break down. Each and every molecule in his body split and transformed into lines of pure digital code. He felt as if he were disintegrating into a fog of pure energy. Soon his vision filled with the same blinding light.

Then it faded to black, and as his eyes came into focus he found himself looking straight at a black and blue glowing blob as it careened straight for him.

"Oh… OH SHIT!" he stammered, stunned, as his body reacted on it's own. He lunged to his left and just barely stumbled out of the way of whatever odd vehicle almost made him a pancake. He spun around to stare at the spot he had once stood and blinked with confusion as he let his eyes scan upward to study the black, glowing accented skyscraper towers looming just overhead.

It was dark. Everything was black, glossy, sharply geometric and accented with bright white and blue glowing lights.

"W.. where am I?" he muttered as he rubbed his forehead with his hand. He looked from side to side and realized he was standing on a sidewalk in an alien city. No, not aliens. There were people, just like him, walking up and down the sidewalks. They were wearing futuristic looking clothes, and they too seemed to glow with an unnatural, internal radiance.

"Hey, sprite! Move out of the way!" A man who looked like he was wearing a wetsuit with fluorescent yellow accenting shoved past him. Duo stammered but the words wouldn't come out. He scampered quickly to the wall of the nearest building and pressed his back to it as the strangely dressed people made their way past him. Many paused to study him while others just cast curious glances as they hurried along to their destinations.

"Oh fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh-fuck," Duo chanted as his confusion began to slowly dissipate. It was quickly replaced with enthusiasm and pure excitement. The laser had digitized him. It had done what he built it to do. He was in. He was in the Tron System. He had finally made it. He stiffened his back, straightened his purple swim trunks and grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm in the fucking Grid."


	2. Chapter 2

"...Yea, he was just standing there in the middle of the street wearing these bizarre, brightly colored clothes. He must be a User. He clearly isn't from around here… At least I've never seen someone who looks like that before…"

"No lines on his body, either. He didn't even glow!"

Trowa listened to the frantic, excited conversations going on around him. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his black motor jacket while he rounded the corner and continued to walk down the dimly lit sidewalk. Emerald green eyes scanned the area and darted from face to face as he passed other programs. His lithe body, clad in tight black pants with glowing blue lines that went down the sides and matched the intricate design on his jacket, wove elegantly through the crowd.

"…he was so handsome! Long brown hair tied back in a braid and a grin to die for! If he really is a User, I wonder if they all look like that?"

A User was on the loose in the city, at least that was the current gossip floating around. Not many programs could remember the last time a User had shown up on The Grid. The occurrence was so rare that hardly any programs could claim to have met one. Many thought that they were simply urban legend or part of mythical lore. They were often described as being godlike creatures and according to old stories Users hailed from a world that programs couldn't even begin to fathom. They were the creators, the controllers, the ones who decided the fate of all who resided in their digital universe. At least that was what groups like BEING preached, and what older programs who still functioned in quiet corners of the cities often lamented.

Trowa knew otherwise. He had seen one. The only time Trowa had witnessed a living, breathing User was many years ago when he had seen Kevin Flynn, the creator of the entire Tron System, and only from afar. He knew that they were real, but their function and origin remained a mystery to him.

If it was true and a User was in fact wandering around Tron City Trowa had to find him fast before the Security Programs did. Judging by the buzz of excitement all around him the User had to be somewhere nearby.

Trowa had never transported a User to the Gate before, but he had helped to traffic many programs out of The Grid. If there _was_ a User here, the likelihood of which was low, he/she would need to leave as soon as possible before they were apprehended by D-FILE, or worse collected by BEING.

D-FILE had become a strong, oppressive force against the programs since the resolution of The Purge. Trowa couldn't recall much about The Purge, but he knew that the fighting had been intense and that Clu's Black Guard forces had all but annihilated the entire race of Isomorphic Algorithms, or ISOs. Clu strove to create and maintain a perfect system, and the ISOs, who were spontaneously created from the The Grid itself, were considered forces of chaos. They threatened the perfection of his system and therefore had to be removed. D-FILE was created shortly after The Purge to maintain Clu's vision and to keep The Grid safe from the recurrence of ISOs and any other non-conforming programs. It also served as subunit of the basic Tron System Security Program Division. They were known to remove anything that could destabilize The Grid, and would derez anyone who opposed their directive.

D-FILE was the official negative governing force, but Trowa was used to dealing with them. They were generally predictable, and they followed their directive. BEING, on the other hand, was a factor that Trowa tried to avoid.

For years the extremist group BEING had been preaching in the streets of the city to anyone who walked past that Users were real and about the 'God Code', a supposed single line of code that was what made Users superior to regular programs in The Grid. Supposedly a User could regain and regenerate energy faster than the average program, transfer that energy to other programs and objects, and could withstand more damage. BEING desired that code. They believed that once they obtain the code they can install it into any program to make them as powerful as a User.

Trowa had heard plenty of their preaching in his time stalking the streets of Tron City and could recall a specific program who told stories of the prophetic return of a User who would "seal our doom." He didn't buy into any of their crazy, but he knew that if BEING's followers caught wind of the User they would be actively seeking him/her out. His function was to protect and to bring those who needed protection to the Gate. It was what Elios would want him to do.

"So what's you're name, huh? Wait, lemme guess, are you a personal assistant program? Because I am in _desperate need_ of assistance."

The loud, sharp crack of a hand slap echoed off of the nearby alley walls as an androgynous white-clad program stomped angrily from around a corner. It pushed past Trowa, fuming, and retreated down the sidewalk.

A peculiar figure stumbled from around the corner with his hand on his cheek and a sheepish grin plastered across his handsome face. "Whew, I guess I deserved that one. That was a pretty shitty line," he muttered.

Duo was in heaven. Despite some of the rough treatment he had received from a few programs he was on cloud nine. He knew that, like people from his own world, programs varied in personality and ability. They were created by people like himself to perform specific jobs on The Grid. So far he had encountered quite a few programs, though he had yet to find any amicable ones.

He still couldn't believe that he was finally there, and after asking around he found out that this was Tron City, the heart of the Tron System, AKA The Grid. He was lost, dressed in nothing but his swim trunks and absolutely aimless but he was loving every minute of it.

As he approached his large, violet-colored eyes locked onto a good-looking program with tight black pants and a calculating expression. He dropped his hand from his face and propped both of them on his hips with a grin.

"Hey, pal, do you know where I can get a drink around here?" He couldn't be sure how long he had been in this digital universe but not once had he seen a food vendor or a bar since his arrival.

"A drink is the least of your needs." Trowa said sharply, looking the half naked human over and wondering where the hell the rest of his clothes were. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the User. The guy was too animated and expressive to be constructed by the typical type of coding most programs were. He had a strange way of speaking, and a curious hint of an accent he couldn't define. He stood out like a sore thumb and needed to be dressed appropriately right away.

Trowa slid his jacket off, exposing the well-defined body that hid under a white v-neck tee, and held it out to the User. "Put this on." He'd have to get the other out of here before he caused a scene and drew more unwanted attention. He reached to the side of his pants and grasped his baton, unlatching it from his belt.

"Step aside." Trowa waited until the confused User was standing against the alleyway wall before breaking into a jog. With a running leap he pulled the baton in two and gracefully mounted the light cycle that manifested under his form. Trowa steered the illuminated bike back around and pulled up beside the now shocked but extremely excited-looking User. "Get on."

Duo's eyes widened and his jaw completely unhinged as he saw what looked like a short stick transform into a wide, shining light cycle. He had read about the vehicles in many of Flynn's notes and books, but to actually see one stunned him. He shrugged on the program's jacket, zipped up the front and approached the enormous black and blue pulsating machine.

"Uh… " he saw the program raise an eyebrow at him as he scooted forward on the seat a fraction to make room for him to sit. "Where are we goin'?"

He didn't have a clue who this crazy-hot guy was and at first he wasn't too keen on accepting his help or being told what to do, but the appearance of the bike quickly changed his mind. He scrambled awkwardly up behind the no-name program and squeezed into the back of the seat. He tried to be polite and tip his hips backward away from him, but because of how the rider was required to tilt forward he found himself continuing to slide down into him. Eventually he just gave up and let his crotch plant firmly into the tight ass of this mystery man. You only live once, right? He grabbed the hips in front of him with both hands and yelped as the bike shot off like a rocket.

"Oh fuck!" His arms wrapped tightly around the hard, lithe body in front of him as they raced forward. "W-where are you takin' me? Who the hell are you?!"

"You wanted a drink, right?" Trowa guided the bike as they sped down the busy street, weaving masterfully in between traffic like it was second nature. He headed in the direction of the marketplace where one of his connections could help outfit the User. "Call me Trowa."

This Trowa guy was clearly a talented light cycle rider. Duo involuntarily flinched as they came ridiculously close to other light cycles as they careened down the luminescent highways and between the dark, towering skyscrapers.

"I'm Duo," he shouted over the loud hum of the bike. He decided he'd need more than one drink, if they made it there alive. While it was thrilling to be going so fast Duo felt obligated to have at least an inkling of self-preservation. He clutched tighter to the body in front of him as Trowa banked the bike suddenly to the right, nearly throwing him off balance. "Ugh… my first chance at gettin' to actually ride one of these damn things and I end up riding bitch," he grumbled.

Eventually Trowa pulled the light cycle up in front of a massive, dark tunnel that passed beneath a particularly large, looming obsidian tower. He could see the faint mixture of rainbow neon colors glowing deep within the opening. He could also hear the low, indiscernible concert of voices coming from inside. "So, Trowa, you're a program, right?" That was a dumb question. Of course he was. "Why're ya helpin' me out?" Up until now most programs had for the most part ignored him, though a few had been following him around curiously.

"You're in danger here." Trowa waited for Duo to dismount before gripping the bike's handlebars and pushing them together. The motion caused the light cycle to flicker and fade as it quickly transformed back into the baton. Trowa stood up straight, securing it back against his side. He cast a wary glance to their surroundings and saw a few nearby programs watching them with interest. He knew that the longer that they stayed there, the more likely the User's rumor would spread. He couldn't let BEING or D-FILE catch wind of his presence. "We should get you properly outfitted. You need clothes and a disc." He was straightforward with his responses, purposely not going into detail about why he was helping Duo out. "This way…"

The taller program led them into the tunnel and down a dark passageway that would eventually take them to the back of the marketplace, to an area where illicit business was conducted. "Keep quiet and try not to draw any attention to yourself," Trowa warned as they neared their destination.

After geeking out about the light cycle and watching the program casually put it away Duo eyed the baton enviously as he fell into step behind the program called Trowa. He shoved his hands into the pockets of the jacket he had given him and frowned at his back as he led him into the darkness of the tunnel.

"I dunno what the big deal is," he muttered as he followed at his heel. The guy was acting like they were being hunted or something.

* * *

"Hey, did you hear that a User was seen downtown?"

"User? No way, those don't exist anymore. Sam Flynn was the last User," a young program replied as he took up the five green, glowing dice from a white, floating platform table and slid them into a velvety black cup. He began to shake it vigorously as his partner waited impatiently for him to throw them from the opposite side of the table.

"What the hell are they talking about, then? Someone said it digitized right in the middle of the street, no clothes, all crazy-like and almost caused a cycle wreck."

"I told you, Users don't exist. I personally think Sam Flynn was a hologram."

"Shut up, you megabyte moron."

"If it was a User then those BEING micros were right! They're always ranting about the 'third arrival' or whatever."

"Don't tell me you're buying into BEING now…"

"No, of course not. I'm just saying that IF it is a User, they'll be looking for it. They'll tear it apart."

The clattering sound of the dice as it skittered across the table mixed with more banter and insults from the dice players as they discussed the latest Tron City gossip. Heero leaned against the wall behind them as they played and crossed his bare, glowing cyan-lined arms over the front of his black tank top clad chest and let his dark blue eyes scan the crowded back-alley market. He had been hunting for a particular program for nearly a month and with no success. Now with the new rumors of a User being on The Grid he hoped that his target would show himself.

He ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair and pushed off of the wall irritably. He was weary of this mission. Every day it was the same thing. He came groggily out of hibernation and aimlessly wandered Tron City for any sign of what the underground informants were calling 'the runner.'

The person that he sought was responsible for transporting programs who wanted to leave The Grid to the Gate; a portal that supposedly led to the mythical outside world of the Users.

Heero had been created for this singular purpose and had been compiled only a month before with an explicit directive from his controllers, D-FILE, to find The Gate and destroy it at all costs. The existence of a portal to the outside world posed not only a security threat to The Grid, but also threatened to cause chaos and disorder among the programs who resided there. He couldn't allow that to happen. He had to follow his directive. He had to obey D-FILE.

He wove through the heavy crowd of programs aimlessly, his eyes and ears open for any hint or clue that could lead him to 'the runner.'

"Hold up! You're sayin' I gotta get naked first?" An incredulous voice broke out over the din of the crowded black market. Heero paused and narrowed his eyes in the direction of the sound.

"What do you mean I'm a stray? What the hell is a stray?!"

The voice's source was coming from within a closed, glossy black and neon green tented booth a few yards away. Heero slunk carefully through a group of programs until he was just outside of it, leaned against one of its external support beams and crossed his arms in an attempt to appear as casual as possible while he listened in on the conversation coming from inside.

* * *

Duo stared down at the scuffed, antique white and blue spiral identity disc a female program in a glossy white, vinyl corset held in front of his face.

"Now strip," she instructed again, her expression reflected her annoyance with his constant questioning. "What's the big deal? You're practically naked already," she added as she gestured to his ridiculous purple swim shorts.

Duo scoffed. "I'm not naked, these are my baggies. You know, swim trunks? Swimming? Don't you guys swim around here?" He sighed loudly, and cast a glance at his new pal Trowa who was standing by the flap-like door of the booth with his back turned to him while he studied the passing crowd of the black market.

"Swim?" the female program frowned. He rolled his eyes. He was beginning to realize that life on The Grid was nothing like the island paradise he left behind. He had been so obsessed with getting TO this place that he hadn't really considered what life on The Grid was actually LIKE. So far he had experienced nothing but rude, apathetic programs who lived in a relatively stagnant, cold and dark world. The only warmth he had felt since his arrival had been a vaguely tepid heat that had emanated through Trowa's clothes when he had held onto him for their light cycle ride. Other than that he had felt nothing but an empty, hollow chill from everything he touched in this digital world.

He had only been in the system for a short time now but already he longed for the warmth of the sun and for fresh, salty breezes from the ocean.

"Sheesh, fine. Ya better step back. You're gonna be in for a BIG surprise, miss," he teased as he yanked his shorts down with a dramatic flourish and kicked them to the side. He propped his hands on his hips and smiled proudly at the pretty program.

She looked down, blinked and then shrugged a shoulder, unimpressed.

"Huh? Seriously? What, are all you programs hung like moose or somethin'?!" Duo grumbled as he watched the female program grab a long, curved rectangular black panel from a nearby table. She approached him from behind and pressed it to his back. As soon as it came in contact with the space in-between his shoulder blades a peculiar tingling sensation spread across his back and chest. He looked down just in time to see a swarm of black pixels race across his skin to coat him with a smooth, leathery body suit. Once it had finished materializing he felt the female click the identity disc to his back. As she did a network of bright white light illuminated his suit and accented his arms, legs and torso.

"There, now everything you do will be recorded again," she explained. "Strange that this stray friend of yours doesn't have luminous lines on his skin, huh," she mentioned over her shoulder to Trowa while Duo inspected his new suit.

"Man, this shit is tight," the braided User complained as he tried to tug the snug fabric away from his crotch. "Good thing it isn't hot here like it is back on the beach, otherwise I'd have the worst crotch sweat while wearin' this damn thing…"

"Sweat?" the female program asked. She hadn't heard of 'sweat' before. She sighed and approached Trowa from behind. "You're always bringing me the strangest programs," she said with a smile. She looped an arm through the tall, handsome program's arm and forced him to turn around to face her. "So, how are you going to pay me this time? Even though that was a first generation disc, those things still don't run cheap."

"I have credits. Unless you want something else?" Trowa's defined left eyebrow rose as he gave Celeste a curious look. She was running her delicate fingers up and down his bicep, a suggestive expression on her soft features. "No. Not that." He knew exactly what she was hinting at. Celeste did this almost every time he asked her for a favor.

"Okay fine. I get it. You must have a really gorgeous program waiting for you back at home." She reluctantly let go of his arm and put her hands on her hips while she awaited payment.

Trowa reached behind his back and grasped his disc. He handled it carefully, making certain not to apply any unnecessary pressure to the hairline crack that traced down the center. He brought it to the front of his body and flipped it on its side so that a blue web of data could project into the air above. He used his fingers to move the data around and access his credit account. "Is this enough?"

"More than enough!" Celeste looked down at the figure that was currently transferring into her account. "Trowa! You don't have to give me that much."

"Consider it a bonus for all the help you've given me." Trowa let the transfer finish before exiting out of his account and returning the disc to his back. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Celeste replied. She cast her gaze to Trowa's new friend who was still squirming and pulling at his new light suit. He's going to have his hands full with that one, she thought with a smirk.

* * *

Heero chewed his lower lip as he eavesdropped on the conversation happening only a few feet away within the tent. The idea of someone paying someone else for 'favors' here in the dark underbelly of the city wasn't anything too terribly nefarious. It certainly wasn't a direct clue to the location of his target but the exchange within the tent continued to draw his attention. He felt a strange, foreign sensation metastasize in the center of his chest. It felt as if a dense ball of lead had formed there. He dropped his arms from his chest and rubbed at the shallow indentation above his sternum through his black shirt. He suddenly felt uncomfortable and anxious. He had never felt this way before, and he had no idea what prompted it.

"Well, it was nice meetin' you miss," the cheery voice said from inside the tent.

"Yes, take care of yourselves," the female voice replied. "I heard that the Security Programs are amping up their forces all over the city. They've started blocking off all of the bridges out to Argon and Arjia City," she added.

Heero tensed. He heard the shifting of fabric as the flap at the front of the tented booth opened. He waited a few seconds before he leaned forward to peer around the corner. He spotted two figures as they moved away from the tent and began to mix into the crowd. A short, light suit-clad program with an antique identity disc and a long coil of braided hair loped casually beside a taller, slim black-clad figure. They were retreating quickly through the mass of black market shoppers in the direction of the entertainment district. He peeled away from his hiding spot beside the tent to follow them.

* * *

Trowa's initial plan was to get Duo out of the city as soon as possible. The longer they stayed the more danger the User was in, and he couldn't let the Security Programs or BEING find him. After making their way through the busy marketplace it became obvious that Trowa would have to modify their plan, much to his chagrin. Apparently security was stationed at all exits of the city, monitoring incoming and outgoing traffic, in search of any suspicious activity or solid proof that there was a User on the grid.

Duo was persistent about getting a drink and wasn't acting like he was in any sort of danger. Trowa eventually gave in and agreed to take him to one of the bars if the other promised to stay quiet and stay out of trouble.

"Holy shit, this is really it? The End Of Line Club," Duo read the name from the front marquee aloud as they neared. "I can't believe it."

To say that he was nerding out was an understatement. If Duo had a bucket list of places he wanted to visit in The Grid the End Of Line Club was definitely the top of the list. He had read that it was the epicenter of Tron City entertainment and one of Kevin Flynn's favorite hangouts. As they entered the bar he took in the clean, modern lines of the rectangular room in awe. The glowing white floors illuminated the white and black outfits of the bar's patrons as they mingled, laughed and drank multicolored cocktails from elaborate, geometric glasses.

"This shit is amazing," Duo muttered as he spun around a few times to survey the entire room. He rushed up to the bar and wedged himself happily between two older programs who gave him curious looks. One tilted his head back to eye Duo's old disc.

"Hey, what does a guy gotta do to get a drink around here," he said loudly to get the attention of the program behind the bar. He smiled to the two programs on either side of him as he waited.

"What are you having?" An impatient female voice asked from the opposite side of the gleaming bar. Duo found himself staring into the face of a scowling, seemingly irritated female program.

"What's good?" Duo asked with a grin. He watched as the pretty program scrunched her nose at him and sighed.

"Everything's good," she said plainly. "You going to order something or what?"

"I… uh... " he said, blinked and tore his eyes away for a moment to check for his new friend Trowa. He peered around the program to his right and saw that the tall, calm program has taken a seat on one of the low, black built-in couches that flanked the dance floor near the center of the bar. The guy already had a drink in his hand. Why didn't HE have a drink yet? He turned back around and faced the bartender program once more. "Something strong and sweet, just like you…"

The program scowled, rolled her annoyed, glowing eyes and wandered off. Duo deflated slightly as she left. The male program to his right chuckled. "You're not so great at the game, are you?"

Duo rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. "You programs are confusin' as hell."

"What do you mean by 'you programs'?" the program seated to his right echoed his words and gave him a hard stare.

"Urm, what I meant to say was, 'lady programs'. They're a mystery to me," Duo recovered, awkwardly. Man he couldn't wait for that drink. Eventually the female returned and slid him a tall, twisted flute filled with a flickering pale blue opaque liquid. He took it quickly in hand and tried to hop up from the barstool but was stopped by a chilled, hard hand against his wrist.

"Wait a second. You're not dipping out. Are you going to pay or what?" the female program asked in a rough, accusatory voice.

Duo winced and tilted his head in the direction of his friend on the couch. "I'm with him."

The bartender looked past Duo to his companion and locked eyes with Trowa. Instantly she released his wrist and quickly walked away.

"Okay. That was weird as fuck," he mumbled as he picked his way over to Trowa and flopped down onto the couch beside him. "You know that chick or somethin'?"

He was beginning to realize that this guy was someone important somehow. He seemed to have connections all over the city, and the reaction from the female program just now was a little disconcerting. He tipped his drink into his mouth. Once the blue liquid came in contact with his tongue he felt a peculiar tingling sensation fill his mouth and gradually slide down his throat. He coughed and bit down on his now electrified tongue with his molars.

"What the heck?" he raised his glass to the level of his eyes and peered into the liquid. He could see small, faint arcs of electricity zapping around inside. "Is this liquid energy? Like a plasma or something?" He felt suddenly rejuvenated, as if he had taken a shot of adrenaline mixed with four shots of espresso. "Holy shit."

"You could say that." Outward signs of amusement started to show on Trowa's facial features as he watched Duo bring the glass up to his lips for a second, much more cautious sip. "And no, I don't know 'that chick' personally. Although I've seen her around." He draped his arm over the top of the couch and shifted his position so he could face the User. The index finger on his other hand tapped ideally on the top of his thigh while he studied Duo closely. "You look and act nothing like Flynn." Trowa stated dryly.

"Huh? Really?" Duo was surprised at Trowa's sudden statement. "Why do you say that?" Duo idolized both Kevin and his son Sam Flynn and he considered the comparison a compliment.

"The physical differences are obvious." Years ago when Trowa had viewed Flynn from afar, the User looked much older than Duo appeared to be now. "You are louder, not as smart, and have failed every attempt at flirting with a program." These were the observations Trowa had made during his short friendship with Duo. "But you are more attractive than Flynn was…" He shrugged at the last statement.

Duo choked on his drink as Trowa outlined his observations of him. After a short coughing fit he rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "Heh… thanks, I think…" he smiled broadly and chugged the rest of his drink. He felt a shockwave of rejuvenating electricity jolt through his body. He shuddered and reveled in the sensation of being fully energized.

"So, where are ya from, Trowa?" Duo asked as he eyed the crowd for someone who could hook him up with another one of those sweet, magic elixirs. "You seem kinda out of place here, too. You're the only guy who has tried to help me since I got here."

"I'm from another city. Not terribly close to here." Trowa answered vaguely, unwilling to go into detail while in a public space. You never knew who was listening. He wanted to explain that the reason he was the only program trying to help Duo out was because he was one of the few who knew how to leave the grid. He removed his arm from the back of the couch and leaned forward so he was closer to Duo's face. "You do realize that Users don't visit the system very often. Have you thought about why you being here might be considered dangerous?"

"Well, no actually. I haven't," Duo admitted with a frown. He hadn't thought of any of those things. Trowa's words made him feel uncomfortable and for the first time he became painfully aware of all of the eyes in the room studying him. He bit his lip and shifted in his seat before he started to bounce a knee anxiously. "I mean, I know you guys have been kinda cut off. Where I'm from they don't believe this place is even real. I guess I never thought that because of that there haven't been any people here. Ur, I mean 'Users' like me. So like, what do you mean exactly? You think someone's gonna try to kill me? Can I even die in here?"

"If you're not careful, you could end up in the wrong hands." Trowa crossed his arms over his chest while he spoke softly so only Duo could hear. He looked out at the crowd of patrons paying a visit to the bar. The music was getting louder, attempting to drown out the growing chatter as the place filled with programs looking to unwind after a long workweek. "There are groups here who'd love to get their hands on a User. And they won't be gentle. Which is why we need to get you out as soon as we can… I know how to return you to the reality from which you came."

"Woah, really?" Duo hadn't considered leaving yet, he had only just arrived. However, at the mention of his life being in danger - violently in danger - he felt a sudden urgency to get out of there. "Wait a minute. I mean, I'm grateful that you're helpin' me and all, but how do I know you aren't the one tryin' to… ya know, delete me or whatever you guys call it." _Deframe? Debunk? Defrag? What was that phrase again?_

"Derez." Trowa finished the other's sentence, his voice smooth like velvet. His eyes returned to the User, studying him once again. Duo was asking a legitimate question. Why should he trust the mysterious program that suddenly showed up and offered to help? If his motive had been to derez Duo, it would have been done by now, and he wouldn't be taking the other out for drinks. "What other options do you have?" Green eyes narrowed seriously as the question slipped through his cool lips.

Duo blinked. He didn't know what to say. "I mean, yeah. I guess you're right. I dunno, though. You don't look like the 'take ya into a back alley and murder you' kind of guy, but then again the real crazy maniacs don't, right?" he rambled. Trowa's apathetic expression silenced him. A long, awkward silence passed between them before Duo broke it with a question, "so where is this place you're takin' me? When are we leavin'?"

* * *

Heero lifted his drink from the bar and took a long sip from its glimmering, neon green contents as he watched the slender program and his unusual companion speaking on the couch across the crowded room. The lights in the club began to shift and dim with the music as the dance floor started to fill with bar patrons. There was no way in this environment that he was going to be able to overhear anything being said between them even if he did manage to get closer.

He gulped down the remainder of his drink and set the glass back on the bar for the bartender to take it. She narrowed her eyes at him and then glanced at the two on the couch before abruptly turning her back to him and walking away. Heero sighed and tore his eyes away from the unusual pair, worried that the bartender had noticed he was studying them.

 _Shit_ , he thought with a scowl. _I need to figure out who that guy is…_

He turned his head slightly and tried to watch them through his peripheral vision. There was something familiar about the taller program. The way he lifted his drink to his mouth, and the occasional shift of an eyebrow and downward curve of his mouth were borderline captivating.

"What the hell is wrong with me… " he grumbled as he waved the bartender down for another drink. It felt as if the energy shots did little to nothing for him anymore, and he was starting to wonder whether he was developing a resistance to their rejuvenating effects. He ran a hand through his hair and gave a tired sigh.

 _The rumor is that there is a User on The Grid. If that program with the braid is actually the User, then that program with him may be 'the runner,'_ he reasoned. _I just have to find a way to verify who he is before I can act._

* * *

"I can't tell you exactly where we are going. The location is protected. But you should know it's far outside this city and will take several days to reach." The hairs at the back of Trowa's neck suddenly stood at attention as the sensation of being watched washed over him. He jerked his eyes away from Duo and started to scan the room for the source of his apprehension. "We can't leave until security opens up the cities exits. Until then, we have to lay low…"

Trowa's gaze eventually landed on the bar area where a good-looking, dark haired program was currently sitting. Their eyes locked and Trowa froze for a few seconds, feeling foreign jolts of electricity course through his body. It took all his strength to look away, biting the inside of his lip anxiously as he did so. How long had that guy been watching? What did he want, and what the hell was this strange feeling overtaking his senses? Trowa shook his head and looked down at his lap. "We should head out soon."

Trowa's vision of the dark haired program was suddenly blocked by hips clad in a tight, black mini skirt.

"I see empty glasses, which means you two handsome fellas need some topping off!" Their empty glasses were snatched quickly out of their hands to be replaced by new, full ones. Duo followed the lines of the fit body in front of him upward until he found himself staring into the face of a gorgeous female program with short, dark hair and bright green eyes.

"Hey, thanks," he said easily as he took in the lovely figure in front of him. All of his previous worry about death and escape was replaced by wonder and interest. "Miss?"

"Hilde. You can call me Hilde," she said with a grin as she balanced a tray of empty glasses on an upturned hand.

"Hilde, huh?" Duo was grinning from ear to ear. Finally a program who wasn't snappy or short with him. "I'm Duo, and this is…"

"Trowa," Hilde finished for him. She gave Trowa a wink. "I know him. He comes in here quite a bit on the weekends. Cute friend you've got here," she gestured to Duo with her tray and laughed.

"He is cute, isn't he?" Trowa teased flatly while he took the offered drink from Hilde. He brought the florescent purple concoction to his lips and took a long gulp, still able to feel eyes on him. Trowa mentally cursed the endearing girl standing in his way, blocking the view of the bar. With another long gulp the drink was gone and Trowa handed the empty glass back to Hilde. "Thank you…"

"You must not be from around here. I haven't seen you before." Hilde balanced the empty glass on her tray and gave Duo her full attention. The new program had the loveliest pair of violet-blue eyes and she found the flush of his cheeks charming.

"Yeah, well, I'm from out of town," Duo said casually. He had forgotten about the drink in his hand, too distracted by the pretty program in front of him. He handed his second untouched drink off to Trowa, roughly shoving it into his hands before he stood up from the couch with a smile. "Here, let me help you with that, Hilde," he said as he took the full tray from her.

"Well, this is a first," she admitted with a chuckle. Duo had worked in plenty of pizza joints back on the island and he was pretty decent at tray balancing. He propped it up on a hand and held his arm out to her with a smile. "Show me where to carry this heavy thing, huh?"

* * *

Heero watched as the strange program stood up and hooked arms with the server. They were headed his way. He turned his attention down to his drink as they passed.

"It must be fun workin' in a place like this, right?" the unusual braided program asked as he passed. He couldn't make out what the server said in reply. He waited until they had passed and rounded the corner of the bar before sitting up in his stool again. He carefully looked over his shoulder to check and see if the taller program was still on the couch and as he did he found himself staring back into a pair of intense emerald green eyes. Heero tensed and for a long moment held the other program's gaze. He had been caught, and there was nothing left to do but approach and try to verify. He grabbed his drink from the bar, slid off of the stool and made his way to the couch, his eyes never leaving the other's as he did.

"This seat taken?" he asked as he gestured to the empty space where the strange unit had been sitting.

"Not currently." Trowa pulled his gaze away from the attractive stranger long enough to set Duo's discarded drink on the table in front of the couch. "Why have you been staring at me all night?" He asked bluntly, but not unfriendly.

Heero hadn't expected the other program to confront him. He sat down, cradled his drink in both hands and stared at him through widened, prussian blue eyes for a suspended moment while his thoughts attempted to process and catch up. He felt overloaded and exhausted. He blinked slowly before replying, "you're captivating." Which was the only response he could think to say, and one which was entirely true. "Do… do….. I make you uncomfortable?"

He flinched at his own laggy response and silently cursed before forcing more of his drink down his throat. His delayed response and stutter was beginning to worsen over time. He needed to reset. A typical program reset their memory during their hibernation period, but ever since Heero's compilation he had yet to experience a true reset. He hadn't noticed his memory banks were becoming overloaded until a week before when he began to involuntarily stutter. He had reported his anomaly to D-FILE, who had yet to give him a solution. In the meantime he had to live with its effects and hope that it wouldn't keep him from accomplishing his directive.

"No." Trowa peeked through his hair and caught the other program's eyes again. "I'm not captivating. I'm just an ordinary program. No need to stare." He was used to being hit on at the bar, used to deflecting the comments that came his way. But there was something about this program's voice that did indescribable things to his body. Trowa felt his digital pulse quicken, felt a tingling sensation crawl along his limbs. He had to look away again. The other's presence was familiar yet alien at the same time. He furrowed his brows and folded his arms across his chest, posture stiff and on guard.

Heero could feel the other program's tension and see through his body language that he was indeed uncomfortable. The denial about being the alluring creation that he was was a surprise, but Heero wasn't one to argue the point. It wasn't why he had approached him, anyway.

"To be honest, I have been wanting to talk to you," he said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he studied the side of the other program's face. "I wonder if you can help… help… help me with something."

The lag in the stranger's voice did not go unnoticed, and for the briefest second Trowa felt concerned. The other needed to reset. He turned to face him again. "What makes you think I can help you? Or that I'd even want to?" The other had been meaning to talk to him. So was he following him? And where did Duo go? Trowa didn't want him wandering off very far...

"I've been lost," Heero said plainly, though his eyes were suddenly intense. He tried to gather his thoughts and straighten them out before he spoke again. He knew that this was the moment he would need to win over this stranger if he was in fact 'the runner' he had heard about. He would need to get this right.

"I need to report to Elios," Heero said firmly. "I …. I'm a guard of Aether."

Trowa frowned as that sacred name was vocalized. How did this program know about Elios and the Aether Guards? "I don't know what you are talking about." He lied, still suspicious of the other. "I'm sorry. I'm the wrong guy." He unfolded his arms and started to get up from the couch. Aether was one of Trowa's guarded secrets, along with the true identity of its leader, the Gatekeeper Elios. Trowa was a member of Aether, the elite guard to the Gatekeeper, and had sworn an oath to protect its leader and the lives of his fellow guards. He wasn't willing to give up any information about Aether so easily.

Heero stiffened as the other program moved to stand. He knew that if he didn't stop him from leaving he would never know for sure if this was his target or not. He decided to just go out on a limb and pull out all of the stops. The worse that could happen at this point was he would get punched in the face and the guy would run off.

He willed his body to move as fast as it could and despite his laggy reflexes he managed to make contact with the other program. His hand shot out to grab the retreating program's wrist and held firm. As his palm came in contact with his wrist he felt a pulsating in his hand and suddenly what could only be described as a ball of energy shot through his hand and up his arm. As it did the cyan blue lines on his arms that had formerly been dull and barely visible flickered and brightened and for a split second Heero had a moment of shocking clarity.

"Please don't," he said in clear, quick voice. The sensation dissipated and soon his previous fog settled over his mind. "That program… he is a User, right?" He made no move to release the other program's wrist, and found himself staring deeply into the other program's surprised eyes.

Trowa also felt the quick burst of energy upon contact. The remnants still swam through his system, giving it an extra boost. He straightened his back, looking down at the other with pure shock and confusion. "…He's not. Users don't exist."

He was unable to pull his wrist away, unable to look anywhere else but at those prussian blue eyes. They were hypnotizing him, drawing him deeper into their depths. "Who are you?" The question spilt from his mouth and hung in the air between them.

"My name is Heero," he replied softly, his voice barely audible over the throb of the music. His blink was slow and his face expressed his confusion at what had just transpired. He forced his eyes to break their locked gaze and turned them down to study his hand clasped tightly on the other program's wrist. "I'm sorry. I just need to get back to the guard. I've been wandering for years," he lied. "I heard that you could help me to get back. I've been looking for someone they call 'the runner.'"

Heero was feeling confident that this program was who he had been seeking for nearly a month. He had noticed his defensive behavior, as well as his expression at the mention of the keeper of The Gate, Elios. He knew he was onto something here, but he was confused about the strange reactions he was having while interacting with him. Heero had never felt anything like what had just shot through his arm happen to him before in his short existence. He hesitated before releasing the tall program's slender wrist and gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm … " Heero's mind stuttered and lagged. He grit his teeth and forced himself through it. "I'm sorry. You must be… right… and I have m-mistaken you for someone else." He let his eyes drift up the black, leather-clad body to meet the program's eyes again and held his gaze while attempting to look as sincere as possible.

Heero was not mistaken. Trowa was 'the runner', but he didn't trust the mysterious program, at least not yet. "If you were a guard then you'd know how to get back. Why are you lost?" He was familiar with most of the Aether Guards and Heero's face wasn't registering. It was the perfect balance of soft and hard features. The program had a determined jaw, a serious mouth with delicate lips, a thin straight nose, and long lashes that framed reflective, turbulent eyes. Trowa would definitely recognize that face had he seen it before.

The longer he studied Heero's face, memorizing every line and detail, the more the tight knot in his stomach grew. Anxiety nagged at his mind, telling him something wasn't right with this situation. Trowa decided to stay put, unable to walk away from the pleading expression that stared hopelessly up at him. "What has happened to you? Why haven't you reset yourself?"

D-FILE had provided him with an entire cover-up story, but Heero knew that in this situation he was going to have to improvise. The fact the other program had stopped and was questioning him was a good indicator that had found his target.

"I was taken by the enemy during The Purge," he recited his provided backstory confidently. "I was damaged in the fight. I… I….I lost some of my memories from the damage. I was deactivated for a while until an Outlander scrapper found me and revived me. I have been trying… t-trying to find a way back ever since. I tried going back to Arjian City to find them. I had no idea that the city was destroyed." He ran his hand through his hair and tried to appear as calm and collected as he could. He was surprised at how difficult that was under the analytical gaze of his target program. Heero hadn't expected to have such a strong reaction to him, and it bothered him. He would have to include his physical reactions in his report when he checked in.

The question about his reset surprised him. He didn't have a real answer for it, and when he had last reported his situation to D-FILE they had no answers to give him. Normal programs reset automatically when they went into their daily hibernation period. Heero was aware of this fact, it was common knowledge. The fact that he couldn't reset was problematic. Useless information that should have been wiped clean every hibernation was collecting in his memory and forcing him to become laggy and slow to respond. Not only was it frustrating it was also embarrassing, and he often worried that it would impede him from fulfilling his directive.

"I am in-incapable of resetting myself," he explained honestly. "I don't know why." He shifted uncomfortably at the question and nervously wiped the corner of his lower lip with a thumb. He looked down at the floor and avoided the other program's gaze, feeling suddenly self-conscious, and silently cursed himself for it.

If Heero was taken by the enemy then there was no telling what they'd done to him. That coupled with the fact that Trowa hadn't seen this 'guard' before made him extremely wary. He didn't trust Heero, but knew that if he left the program here, unable to reset on his own, Heero would eventually glitch so bad that he'd burn out. And then it was game over. Trowa knew deep down that Elios would want to help this lost program, regardless of the uncertainty.

Trowa was still reluctant to confirm or give any information to Heero. "I know the Runner. I'll see if he can help you. But he doesn't live in Tron City." They needed to leave this area soon.

Heero raised an eyebrow at the mention of The Runner and set his glass down on the table in front of him. "Thank you. I will try not be a… a burden."

A raucous laugh burst through the throbbing music and the strange, braided program emerged from the darkened back of the bar. He was staggering and grinning widely through the crowd in their direction.

"YO! Trowa!" he yelled loudly, "there you are!" He flopped down onto the couch beside Heero and grabbed the drink he had left behind and began to chug it. He shuddered as the energy from the cocktail invigorated him. "Man, you programs are somethin' else." He tried to smooth his bangs with his free hand. Static electricity had gathered in his hair, which made the dark strands float around his face. "Looks like you've been busy too, huh?" he said as he gestured to Heero.

Heero frowned at him. Now that he could get a closer look at what was supposedly a former stray program he could see that there was something unusually vivacious about him. "It's n… no… not like that…" he tried to say. The unusual program smirked and chuckled.

"What's wrong with you, huh? Got a stutter or somethin'? Heh, maybe you need a defrag," Duo said as he put his now empty glass on the table. "Whew, I tell you what, you guys may just be programs but you give regular girls a run for their money, man."

Heero narrowed his eyes at him. _He is a User,_ he confirmed.

 _Great. So much for staying under the radar._ Trowa frowned, wondering how many programs heard the lewd comment that spewed from the User's mouth. "Lower your voice." He clenched his teeth and resisted the urge to step on Duo's foot in hopes of shutting him up. That cat was out of the bag. Trowa knew Heero was already suspicious of Duo and now his suspicion was confirmed.

"We need to head out. I think you've had enough drinks." Trowa was now escorting two bodies to Elios, one of which was still a shady character in his mind. Usually he only needed to escort one wayward program at a time, so this new assignment was going to be a challenge. Not that he minded. Trowa always rose to the challenge. "Get up, let's go."

"What? Ugh," Duo grumbled incoherently as he pushed himself up to a stand. He noticed the program's annoyance with him. He had been so excited he had forgotten he was supposed to be hiding out. He eyed the second, stuttery program as he stood up as well. "Wait a min, who is this guy? He's comin' too?"

"Yes," Heero replied coldly in response. Duo blinked and fell into step behind Trowa who was working his way through the crowd in the direction of the exit.

They were only a couple of yards away from the front of the bar when a sharp, frantic yell sounded through the music. The flood of programs on the dance floor shifted and began to swell in their direction as terrified faces rushed away from the source of the loud, crackling sound of electricity. Trowa stopped short and Duo bumped into his back before backpedaling into Heero, who stood firm despite the User's body slamming hard into him.

"What the-" Duo didn't get a chance to finish his statement. A glowing purple light sword materialized in Trowa's hand and the glitchy guy behind him sidestepped from behind him with his brightly illuminated blue and black identity disc in hand.

"Move, User," Heero said slowly. He didn't have to repeat himself, the quirky User ducked out of the way and gawked at them.

"Hand him over, and MAYBE we won't derez you pieces of bit," a harsh, nasal voice called from the entrance. Five male figures in black and luminous green light suits strode into the bar side-by-side. Three had identity discs clutched menacingly in their hands while the other two held long, glowing baton staffs aloft and ready to attack.

Heero stepped forward and twisted his body to the right so that his radiant disc was held in front of his face by his right hand and pointed at the closest opponent with a staff. His right foot was extended forward and his rear leg flexed, the center of his gravity tilted back onto his left leg, prepared to spring forward. "I… I've got the baton staffs," he said in a low, cool voice to the program to his left.

It was no surprise BEING had caught up with Duo, although Trowa had hoped it would take them a little more time to find the User. He quickly sized up the punks in the green light suits, deciding they probably weren't much of a threat. He gave Heero a curt nod and took a step to the side, swirling the hilt of his baton sword between his long fingers. Trowa eyed the punk with the mohawk and sunglasses on, deciding he looked like the leader of the small group. "Let's see what you've got."

The leader snarled and raised his ID disc as he charged across the club, closing the distance between them. When he was about 10 feet away, he flicked his wrist and sent the weapon flying through the air, aimed right for Trowa's head. The purple beam emitting from Trowa's baton made contact with it as he swung his sword, easily blocking the attack. The disc flew towards the glass walls of the club before quickly boomeranging back to the leaders grasp.

Heero sprung off of his left leg and ran at the baton wielders. Despite his lagging he was still relatively nimble. As he neared them he didn't bother to slow down. Instead, he threw his body forward with his right leg still extended and dropped down to slide like a runner stealing a base against the ground between the two of the programs armed with staffs. The were standing in readied stances, prepared to attack. They appeared stunned as he vanished beneath them. He gouged the one to his right across his knees as he passed through. The BEING program screamed as he became separated from his calves and fell to the ground on his hands, writhing in agony as he kicked around his now pixelated stumps.

The second staff-armed BEING member spun around and tracked Heero as he glided past. Heero hopped quickly to his feet and blocked a vertical attack from his opponent with the bladed edge of his ID disc. It hummed as it became caught against the bright, green shimmering cylinder of energy. He swung his body around to plant a kick to his opponent's chest. The BEING program stumbled backward, regained his balance and lunged at him again with his staff aimed at Heero's abdomen. Heero moved to block the attack with his disc but his movement became staggered. His arm twitched and shook for half a second before resuming its sweep at the incoming blow. The lost fraction of a second was just long enough to cause his block to miss. He took the staff blow to the gut and was thrown off of his feet. He landed hard on his back but luckily he hadn't lost his grip on his disc.

The BEING member ran at him and swung his staff for a strike at his head. Heero rolled out of the way and tried to stand up, but instead glitched and fell to his knees.

Duo stared in awe from the sidelines as his new companions battled these weird, cyberpunk looking dickheads. He saw Trowa effortlessly dancing among his attackers, swiping and stabbing at them with a warrior's grace while the weird, short guy made a daring low attack but was soon getting his ass handed to him. He frowned. He couldn't just STAND there. He groped around on his back for his antique blue and white disc. He hefted it in his hand for a moment, scowled and ran at the guy with the staff pummeling the glitchy program who seemed to have been rendered helpless on his knees.

Trowa brought his sword down on the leader's shoulder when the other neglected to parry his move, slicing through him in one quick motion. The program screamed in pain before his body burst into pixelated pieces, which loosened and fell haphazardly to the ground. Trowa didn't get any time to recover from the match, his attention immediately drawn to the braided human who had attached himself to the back of one of the BEING members, ramming the vintage disc against the program's head. Trowa rushed over and ran his sword through the program's side, derezzing him within seconds. He watched Duo fall to the ground with an ungraceful thud.

"Are you ok?" Trowa directed the question towards Heero, noticing the glitchy program was kneeling on the ground in pain. He reached out and offered his hand, completely ignoring the groaning User to his left.

The remaining two disc wielders were livid. They were short their leader and two comrades, the loss of which spurred them to action. Heero blinked and forced himself to look up at his target program, who he had learned was named 'Trowa' by the careless User, and saw the extended hand. The sound of the two incoming enemies caught his attention. He didn't think twice before he grabbed the offered right hand with his own, jumped to his feet and used his companion program's arm for support. He wound his arm back and with a grunt he threw it as hard as he could at the foremost of the two incoming enemies. The BEING program deflected it with his own disc and sent Heero's flying back at them.

Heero felt Trowa's hand clench against his own and, as if the gesture were a signal, he released the taller program's hand and ducked. Trowa's arm swung past his head to strike the incoming disc with his sword. A spark of purple energy arced off of Heero's disc as Trowa sent it flying back at the incoming BEING program who had deflected it. Heero bolted and ran after his flying disc. The BEING program, surprised at Heero's sudden advance, hesitated. He was struck in the neck and derezzed into a rain of black pixels. Heero caught his disc as it bounced off of the far wall and ran at the remaining BEING enemy.

The black and green program swung his disc at Heero, who caught it with his own and deflected it. Irate and fueled by the loss of his friends, the final enemy slammed and swung his own disc at Heero with loud, angry screams.

"You null-units! Don't you understand? The User has the key! You can transcend! Don't you want to be something more?!" The BEING program locked discs with Heero, who snarled at him and tried to push him off but glitched. Before the enemy could take advantage of his moment of weakness a purple blade shot out from the center of the BEING program's chest and with a strangled, startled cry he vanished. Heero found himself staring into the beautiful, stoic face of his target program.

"What the actual fuck," Duo mumbled as he watched the last bad guy vanish. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Trowa and the glitchy guy were standing face to face, just staring at each other. Neither one of them moved. "Uh… guys? Maybe we should get the fuck out of here, huh?" he said as he got up and fumbled with his disc, trying to reattach it to his back.

Trowa nodded but continued to hold Heero's gaze for a few more moments. How had they managed to perfectly sync their moves? It all felt so natural. And why was Heero giving him that look? _Dammit, what is it about him?_ His lips parted as if to speak, but nothing came out, so Trowa continued to stare in awe. He flicked the purple saber off and reattached the baton to his belt.

"Guys!" Duo was getting impatient. Patrons in the club were starting to crowd around again now that the fight was over. The noise level in the room rose as people speculated about what had just transpired.

Trowa finally snapped out of his trance. "Yes, let's go." He made sure Heero was able to function himself before leading their group towards the club exit.

Heero clutched his whirring identity disc tightly in hand and found himself feeling relieved that the other program broke their locked, intense mutual stare first. He couldn't even begin to explain the tension that had manifested between them in that final moment, but it made him uncomfortable. He watched his target quickly make his way out of the bar, followed closely by the User, who cast a confused look at Heero before vanishing out the door. He frowned, deactivated his disc, slung it against is back and followed them. _This is going to be more difficult than I had anticipated_ , he thought.


	3. Chapter 3

"It seems that you're popular around here," Heero said slowly as he peered through the darkness at the massive bridge in front of them. Harsh, red lights flashed and winked from the thick barricade that had been erected in the center by the Tron City Security Programs, assisted by the Tron System's notorious Black Guard. Heero could also make out the faint outline of two distinctive D-FILE light tanks parked in the center of the thick, seemingly impenetrable wall.

"I don't understand," Duo muttered from his crouched position beside Heero. They had taken up the high ground of a nearby cliff just outside of the city proper. Tron City had been built on a slight plateau in the center of a massive, circular canyon. The only way out of the city was over three bridges. One led to Arjia City, another to the Gaming Grid, and the third led to Argon City. Duo toyed with the end of his long braid nervously. "Why is everyone tryin' to kill me? They don't treat all Users like this, do they?"

"You're only the third User to appear on the grid. The last time one showed up chaos ensued," Trowa explained. That had been seven years ago. He looked out at the cloudless, dark sky. A gentle breeze brushed his bangs against his cheek. He reached up to move his hair out of the way. "Ground transportation is blocked, but we could leave the city by air." They would need access to a three-person light jet, not the smaller sized ones an individual could generate from a personal baton.

"Tsch, you'd think that if I was so rare and special I would be gettin' the VIP treatment, but nooooo. They wanna kill me!" Duo blurted irritably.

"Derez you," Heero corrected him casually before he turned to address Trowa. "I know where we can get a permanent construct jet for three people. We'll need to go to the Tron City Security Division motor pool and airfield. I have an idea." He could see the skepticism in the taller program's face. He watched as Trowa shifted his weight and crossed his arms tightly over his chest as he considered his proposal.

Trowa was having trouble believing that an amnesiac ex-guard could steal a jet from the Tron City Security Division, but with only two batons and three people, they were out of options. They needed the larger jet if they had any hopes of escaping together. It was also clear that the city security programs weren't planning on removing the blockades to any of the city's exits any time soon. "Alright." Trowa gave Heero the green light on his proposal.

* * *

Heero sighed and glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was approaching him from behind. He had left the User and his target program at the end of the white grid-lined airfield to wait for him while he acquired a jet. He hadn't explained the details of his planned acquisition to Trowa, who seemed skeptical about letting him even attempt it. He wasn't overly concerned. Getting a three-person jet was going to be the easy part. Explaining HOW he had retrieved it to the suspicious program hiding in the shadows nearby was going to be the hard part.

He followed the translucent, red force field fence to the blockaded entryway where two security programs stood on guard. They turned to face him as he approached. He immediately raised his arms up with his palms exposed to show that he was unarmed.

"You! State your handle and authorization!" one of the guards commanded as she drew her baton and activated it to form a long, red illuminated bo staff.

Heero hesitated, blinked and tried to organize his laggy thoughts before replying, "I am Security Program Heero, active member of D-FILE, p-program number D001-R," he stated plainly. He watched as the two security programs lean in to discuss his proclamation before the female guard waved her staff at him as if to beckon him to come closer. Heero complied and approached them with confidence. He knew that as a member of D-FILE he was entitled to practically unlimited access to local security division resources. He dropped his hands to his sides as he drew nearer and came to a full stop just in front of the blockade. The female security program narrowed her dark eyes on him while the male stepped behind Heero to verify his identity by scanning the disc on his back.

"It's late. Hibernation hours. What are you doing here?" the female guard asked as her counterpart performed his verification. Heero sighed and crossed his arms firmly over his black-clad chest.

"I am not required to report my directive to you," he said cooly. "I am in need of a three-person light jet. You are going to provide me one."

The female program's eyebrow twitched at his demand. Heero heard the male behind him grunt and mutter something incoherently under his breath. The large, angular figure of the male program soon stepped around Heero to flank his partner once more. "He is verified," he said, almost reluctantly. The female security program frowned and stepped to the side to allow Heero clearance to the compound.

"T-thank you," Heero muttered as he strode past them, ignoring their hissing whispers as he passed. He made his way to the right side of the compound where a massive, rectangular white jet hangar stood with its doors propped wide open and its inside brightly illuminated. He saw two black, deactivated jets parked one in front of the other, filling the cavernous space with their broad wing-spans. He quickly boarded the foremost of the two jets and climbed into the pilot's seat. He studied the controls for a moment. He was familiar with single-person jets, but he had never flown a three-person design like this one before. The basic controls appeared to be the same. He activated the engines and grabbed a firm hold of the yoke with his left hand while he pushed the throttle slider forward with his right to roll the jet out of the tightly fitted hangar. He taxied it to the far end of the glimmering runway where he had left Trowa and the User. He stopped it at the end of the line and peered out of the cockpit windows in search of his two new companions.

Soon he spotted a bold flash of blurred, cyan light from the far end of the airfield as a black and blue object arced over the force field fence. As the object grew closer he recognized it to be a light cycle. He could see two figures huddled on top of it. He watched as it slid to a stop in front of the jet. A leggy, lean figure dismounted, followed by the shorter, braided figure he recognized as the User. The light cycle vanished from existence and soon the two were running toward the underside of the jet. Heero found the button that opened the hatch to let them in. Within moments the smiling face of the User dropped down into the command seat behind him, diagonally left of the pilot's seat, followed by Trowa, who carefully took the gunner's seat directly to Heero's left.

"Woah! A friggin' jet! Look at this thing. Can I drive?" Duo asked playfully as he propped his feet up onto the armrests of Heero and Trowa's seats in front of him.

Heero frowned and elbowed the User's foot from his chair before closed the the hatch and sent the jet roaring down the runway.

"No," Heero said coldly. He gripped the jet's yoke control stick with his right hand and narrowed his eyes at the runway in front of him. "User," he added for emphasis.

"Would ya stop callin' me that. My name's Duo," Duo grumbled, annoyed. He snuck the toe of his boot back onto Heero's armrest and smirked.

Trowa looked over the controls on his seat, fingers running gently along the buttons as he familiarized himself. He frowned, wondering how Heero had managed to secure this jet without any known conflict. He felt the jet propel forward, speed accelerating, before they lifted off of the ground. Green eyes glanced over to his right and studied the program captaining their getaway vehicle. Once they were at a safe altitude he spoke, voice firm. "How did you do it?"

Heero bit the inside of his lip and narrowed his dark, prussian blue eyes on the black plane of sky ahead of them. He attempted to make himself appear busy by glancing down at the controls with interest. "I'm not sure what you mean," he said in a low, flat voice. "I stole it. Disabled the guards," he lied.

Duo looked from the glitchy program to Trowa, and then back again before speaking. "So what's the deal, huh? Who the hell is this guy?" he asked as he nudged the stuttery program in the side with the toe of his boot.

Heero scowled and was about to turn around and TELL this obnoxious User just who he was when the proximity alarms on the control panel blared to life, beeping and whining to get their attention. He looked down at the radar panel directly in front of him and saw three blips on the monitor. He leaned back into his seat and felt his disc click securely into place within the shallow circular indentation against the backrest to secure his body.

"Not now, _Duo_ ," Heero grumbled said irritably. A red laser shot past their jet and illuminated the sky ahead of them as it continued on its missed trajectory. "Trowa, where am I supposed to be taking us?"

"Head for Arjia city," Trowa commanded as he gripped the control sticks on his chair. The once grand, now ruined metropolitan area would be about an hour's flight away from Tron City. His attention moved to the radar screen on the dash in front of him as the control panel continued to beep. "If you disabled the guards then why are we being followed?" Trowa booted up the two light guns in the back as well as the two in front in preparation for the incoming attack. As one of the blips started to gain on them Trowa carefully took aim and fired.

Heero saw one of the targets on the radar screen flicker and then darken as Trowa destroyed it. He sighed and tried to formulate a response to his question. His mind was processing slowly, all of the recent battle and activity having overloaded him. He tensed and squinted out the front window again. His vision began to blur and he frantically blinked his eyes to try and bring everything back into focus.

"You breached the external fence. They probably put two and two together," Heero answered as he began to key in the coordinates to Arjia City.

"Pssshhh, you really gonna believe that line of bull?" Duo asked from the back seat. He crossed his arms over his chest, bored, and tried to lean to the left to peer at Heero's control panel. "Anyone gonna answer me? Who is this guy? You guys know each other or somethin'?" He was beginning to wonder. The fight back at the End of Line Club had seemed well practiced and perfectly coordinated. Now they were going back and forth like they knew one another.

"We don't know each other," Trowa responded sharply, focusing the rear guns on the second target, his eyes never leaving the radar. The blue glow of the screen reflected on his face, bathing his skin in a calming fluorescent light. "I'm helping Heero return home." He took aim once again and shot at the second jet that followed them, nicking it on the side. Trowa bit his lip irritably at the miss.

Heero rolled the jet hard to the left. He saw Trowa shift and lock himself into his seat by the disc on his back, but Duo hadn't been so lucky. He saw the braided User roll out of his seat and land hard against the cockpit wall.

"Ow, fuck! Shit, what the hell, man? You think you coulda warned me?" Heero heard Duo complaining from the floor as he straightened the jet out and slammed his palm into the thrust control to send it careening forward into the dense darkness ahead of them. He activated the ribbon option on the menu in front of him. Two white, glowing ribbons of light began to trail behind the jet to create a diversion that forced the incoming enemy to sway and shift out of light jet's fixed ribbon wake. He began to rolled it and weave it around to create chaotic patterns of light behind them. He could see the two remaining blips on the screen separate from their formation as they twisted and turned around their jet's ribbon lines.

Heero saw that Trowa intensely was focused on his task of shooting down the rapidly moving enemy and within moments the aggressors were lessened by half. He grasped the controls, let off some of the forward thrust, and tilted the nose of the jet down. It began to curl and spin in a defensive spiral, careening towards the ground. Their attacker fell into phase behind them in hot pursuit.

"Shit! SHIT!" Duo was yelling frantically from his seat behind them. Heero didn't check to see whether the User had managed to grab onto anything before they began to dive. He saw the ground rushing up at them, but he held their course. Suddenly his vision darkened around the edges and began to drastically tunnel. He tried to blink the sensation away, only this time he couldn't shake it. His body became heavy and the hand that clutched the control stick refused to respond to his brain's sluggish signals. The ground was coming up at them at a startling speed but he couldn't bring himself to pull the nose of the jet up.

"Pull up! Hey! HEY!" The User lunged out of his seat reached across the center of the two control stations at the forefront of the cockpit. He grabbed the control stick, his hand crushing Heero's, and yanked it back. The jet groaned as it reluctantly shifted its nose up. For a moment it appeared as if they were going to strike the ground head-on, but at the last minute they tipped upward to become parallel with the ground. The enemy wasn't so lucky and soon their pursuer's blip vanished from the radar.

"Hey! HEY! Are you out of your fuckin' mind!?" Duo yelled into the glitchy program's face. "You almost killed us! What were you thinkin?!"

Heero tried to keep his eyes open and summon enough energy to scowl at the cocky User, but he couldn't gain command of any part of his body. Everything was shutting down. He could no longer think. Any thoughts he attempted to have froze and failed to fully form. His eyelids slid closed and his body went limp as he overloaded and went into automatic hibernation mode, his memory banks congested and his mind unable to process any further.

"Are you kiddin' me?! You've gotta be jokin', this guy is just gonna sleep?! He tried to kamikaze us, and now he's gonna take a nap!" Duo was thoroughly freaked out. He managed to get the jet to cruising altitude and after a few moments he had figured out how to set the autopilot to the coordinates that Heero had assigned to resume their heading before the attack.

"That's it, this guy's done. I'm takin' this shit over," Duo said hurriedly. He found the button that released Heero's identity disc from the back of the from the seat, grabbed him by his limp shoulders and shoved him hard into the rear commander station before plopping down into the pilot's chair. He forced his identity disc into his seat with a click. "I know you're the big guy in charge, Trowa, but THAT guy's a fuckin' liability," he said angrily as he jerked a thumb in the direction of the unconscious, glitchy program slumped in the seat behind them.

"He's in system overload. He needs a reset." Trowa looked over his shoulder and frowned. Heero was slumped over in the rear command seat with his eyes closed, his body limp like a ragdoll. It was always a sad sight when a program went into automatic hibernation mode; they became lifeless and unable to fend for themselves. Trowa found that he could relate with Heero because he, too, had his own issues with resetting. For reasons unknown Trowa wasn't able to achieve a full, hard reset on his own. It had been a week since his last, and he was starting to feel the harsh fingers of lag slowly crawl into his system. He'd need to reset soon. They needed to get to Elios.

As soon as Duo had the jet at cruising altitude, Trowa unlatched himself from his seat and got up to check on the glitchy program. He put his hands on Heero's shoulders and gently pushed him back against the seat so that his identity disc clicked into place. He then grabbed the seat belt and fastened it over Heero's shoulder and across his chest to secure him. "He'll be in hibernation mode for a while… probably the next couple of hours," he observed, bending down at the knees so he could be on eye level with the passed out program.

A sudden wave of unquelled curiosity surged through Trowa's system. Unable to still the urge, he brought his hand up to Heero's face and brushed a few strands of hair aside with the back of his knuckles. When he realized what he was doing Trowa quickly pulled his hand away, as if he had been shocked by static electricity, and stared at the skin he had just touched, a puzzled expression on his features. _I don't know this program, so why do I feel myself being pulled towards him?_

Heero was dead to the world, all of his systems suspended in hibernation.

Duo peered over his shoulder at Trowa with a raised eyebrow and noticed the careful consideration that he seemed to use when handling the dysfunctional program.

 _Nicer to him than he is to me, and I'm the damn legendary User,_ Duo thought with a frown before he turned back to the controls. He thoroughly admired the beautiful piece of technology in front of him. He hadn't piloted a jet in the real world before, but he had flown a few flight simulators in his lifetime so he felt that he had the jist of it. There didn't seem to be any real turbulence in the air, and just as he began to wonder whether The Grid experienced weather at all a bright flash of violet light filled the front windows of the cockpit. He squinted through the panes and saw rolling, glowing grey and purple wall of flickering clouds towering ahead of them.

"Shit, looks like a storm or somethin'. You guys have rain here?" Duo asked curiously. He couldn't recall there being any mention of that in Flynn's notes. "So like.. I get the discharge, but what comes down to the ground? Water? Or… wait, is it like a plasma? You know, like that shit were drinkin' in the bar?"

The jet shook as another flash of lightning filled the cockpit with temporary blinding light, only this time it seemed to have activated the radar screens. Duo gawked down at the monitor. "What the hell? Five bogies comin' up on our six!"

Trowa stood up and deftly moved back to his seat, ignoring the questions about the weather. He locked himself back into place and took up his controls. "Where did they come from…" His eyes watched the 5 blips move across the screen in their direction. Could they be more D-FILE fighter jets? Since this was one of their vehicles it was probably easily tracked. _We shouldn't have stolen it._ "How well can you pilot?" Trowa looked over at Duo. The User wasn't having any problems thus far. Maybe he had experience flying. Duo smiled confidently and shrugged both shoulders in a nonchalant, casual gesture.

"Never piloted a REAL jet or anything before, but I used to play a lot of Strike Fighters II!" He enthusiastically deactivated the autopilot and gave Trowa a playful wink. "You just shoot 'em down, I'll take care of the rest, huh? ' _Good flying never killed an enemy yet!_ ' Anyway what button makes the ribbon thing, again?" His left finger made little circle motions in the air over the control panel before he jabbed hard at the prompt on the control panel. "There it is…"

Two parallel ribbons burst from the wings of the jet to once again materialize long, force field pitfalls for the enemy to avoid as they pursued them. He rolled and dove the jet erratically, pushing the throttle as far as it would go in an attempt to outrun them. The five incoming jets were fast, much faster than the Tron System Security Division jets that had tailed them earlier.

The five blips on the monitor spread out and formed a wide U-Shape. The exact altitude of the enemy jets couldn't be discerned from the radar screen, but from the way they were dispersed it was clear that some were moving up and over the light ribbons while others were dropping below them. He looked to his left and saw Trowa huddled over his control panel, his eyes narrowed and his posture stiff as he focused on the monitor in front of him with his long fingers wrapped firmly around his gunner controls. He looked natural in that position, and Duo began to wonder whether he had done this before.

"I need you to deactivate the ribbons on my three count, maintain current heading," Trowa instructed in a cool voice. Duo nodded and heeded his orders. He deactivated the ribbon, he assumed so that Trowa could take a shot without it blocking the laser's trajectory, and held his course and waited for the gunner to take his shot. He watched the focused program aim and fire. The second most blip on the left vanished from the radar.

The jet shook as neon green light erupted from the front of it's nose. Duo cursed and yanked the controls right to roll the jet over for a 180 degree turn before sending it into a reckless nosedive. He reactivated the ribbons to try and make a swirling protective wall in their wake before yanking the jet's nose up to climb in altitude once again.

"Readying shot," Trowa reported plainly. Duo nodded.

"Okay, which one are you going for?"

"The one on four," Trowa replied.

"Alright, gotcha…" Duo straightened the jet out and let his finger hover over the ribbon activation controls and waited for Trowa to let him know when he was ready to fire. He didn't have to wait long.

"Now," Trowa said calmly, his face placid and borderline uninterested. Duo, on the other had, was trembling with stored energy and excitement. He poke hard at the control and watched as Trowa took his shot to expertly dispatch the second enemy. That left three remaining jets clung on in close pursuit.

Duo reactivated the light ribbons and decided to try a maneuver he had done in his simulator a few times before. He abruptly decreased the throttle, yanked the altitude controls back, pushed the throttle slider to full thrust and sent the jet shooting straight up. The two of the three remaining enemies, surprised at his sudden slow and change of direction, passed right by him. The third broke off from the two before they passed and shot off to the right and was beginning a long, curved banking turn to double back and come in front behind them. He tilted the jet back and let it freefall down to the ground nose-first before yanking back on the controls to straighten it out once again so that they were now in pursuit of the two jets in front of him.

"Damn, this shit is easy!" Duo exclaimed happily, practically bouncing in his seat. "I shoulda gave up hacking and became a damn fighter pilot!"

Trowa didn't seem to hear him. He was busying himself with locking onto the enemies in front of them. Duo kept their jet in line to facilitate the gunner's aim as Trowa blasted a homing missile at them.

The left jet of the pair they were chasing burst into shimmering green light and vanished. Duo narrowed his eyes on the remaining jet in front of them. Now that he had visuals on it he could see that they were nothing like the jet they had taken from that airfield. The jets glowed a luminous green and appeared to have a molten, soft texturizing on them as opposed to the sleek, glossy black of their own jet.

"Who are these guys?" Duo asked as he lined up another shot for Trowa. A rain of red laser fire was falling upon them from the year, where the final attacker was attempting to shoot them down before they made their shot on its ally.

"Outlanders," Trowa said plainly as he took his shot on the enemy in front of them. The forward jet rolled out of the way before the laser could connect with it's fuselage, and instead took the hit to one of the wings. Sparking green and white light flickered from the wing as it tottered in the air, attempting to regain control. Their own jet was being pummeled by laser attack from their rear.

"Can't you do something about that guy?!" Duo yelled as he tried to use the laser ribbon to cut the laser attack off, but the rear jet skillfully darted in and out of their trap lines and continued to lob precise laser fire upon them. Trowa leaned down and shifted his focus to the rear guns and tried to lock onto the enemy, who was now using their ribbon wake to its advantage and began ducking and weaving through it to keep Trowa from getting a decent lock.

"This guy's good," Trowa muttered as he continued to trail the enemy's path. "Deactivate the ribbon. Now!"

"Yeah, okay!" Duo punched the control panel and the light ribbons that had been streaming out from the wings of their jet died away. Trowa had a lock and he took his shot. It hit. The rear jet burst into a cloud of light and electrified green and black pixels.

"Hell yeah! Good shot!" Duo exclaimed happily. "Wait a sec… where's the-"

SLAM!

Something rammed into the top of them and it was soon obvious that their enemy jet was flying just overhead with the bottom of its fuselage pressing hard into the top of their jet, forcing it downward.

"What the hell?! How… how is this possible?!" Duo attempted to right their jet but the added weight and opposing thrust from the enemy forced their vehicle into a chaotic corkscrew spin.

"Aw, fuck! Hang on, we're goin' down!" Duo yelled as he yanked and tugged at the controls. It was no use. They were inevitably going to crash.

Trowa and Duo both braced themselves for impact. The black, grid-lined ground rushed toward them and within moments both their jet and the attached enemy vehicle slammed belly-down into the ground. Dark shards of grid matter burst forth and parted to form a deep gash as their jet created a deep, jagged gash in its surface. Everything inside the jet lost power and they were plunged into darkness. After the violent shaking had stopped all fell quiet and only the occasional distant flash of lightning illuminated the inside of the cockpit.

"Ugh… man… " Duo's identity disc that had been set into the back of his seat had kept him from flying out of it. He lifted his head, rubbed the side of his face with a palm and groaned in pain. His head ached from all of the hard jolts from the crash. He couldn't see a thing. He peered into the darkness to his left and after a few seconds a bolt of lightning connected to the ground with a deafening crack nearby. It's radiance provided enough light for Duo to see Trowa sitting limply in his seat.

"Hey… Trowa? Tro? Hey? You alive? Shit, please tell me you're not dead, otherwise I'm stuck in this fuckin' place forever, man… hey!" He reached over to prod the unmoving program's shoulder with his index finger.

Trowa suddenly came to, opening his eyes as he jolted up straight in his seat. He gasped and put a hand to his head, cringing in pain. When the jet hit the ground Trowa's body had jerked to the side, head slamming against the cabin. The blow had knocked him out momentarily.

"Is…is... everyone ok?" He asked, a slight glitch to his voice. Trowa looked over to his right and saw Duo who nodded, and then quickly looked over his shoulder to check on Heero. The other program was still passed out in his seat. Good thing he'd been strapped in.

They needed to get out of the damaged, now nonfunctional jet. It was smoking and Trowa could hear the buzz of malfunctioning circuits humming in the air as they shut down. Soon it would derez, and the resulting explosion that often accompanied vehicle derezzing could potentially take them out with it.

Trowa unfastened his seatbelt and pressed the button on his armrest that released his disc. He stumbled from his seat, gripping the side of his head again as pain coursed through his skull. If his calculations were right, they had crashed just outside Arjia city. He knew of a safe house within the ruined city walls, and he needed to get everyone there quickly so they could recover and reset.

"Du...Duo… let's go." Trowa made his way to the rear seat and started to unstrap Heero. Once free, he scooped the unmoving program up into his arms so he could carry him to safety. Heero's limbs hung limply at his sides as Trowa hoisted him up against his chest.

Duo blinked and watched with concern as Trowa fished the smaller program out of the seat and picked him up. He had caught the hesitation in his voice. From the weary look on his face and the sluggish way Trowa was moving Duo could only assume that he had sustained some sort of damage in the crash. He peeled himself out of his own seat and followed Trowa through the tilted fuselage of the jet. They both stumbled out of a gaping tear in its side. As they climbed over the mounds of displaced grid matter the tumultuous clouds overhead tore open, dropping thick sheets of blue, luminescent rain.

"GREAT! Just great! Fuck this fuckin' place. Seriously, I'm so done! It's just been one thing after a goddamn 'nother! First it was almost gettin' mowed down by traffic, and then I've got a buncha crazy cyberpunk weirdos tryin' to rip me apart… why is everyone tryin' to kill me?" Duo whined to nobody in particular as he stumbled away from their crashed, twisted jet. He could see Trowa picking his way through the rubble behind him while he held that dysfunctional jerk who almost killed them with his spontaneous bout of narcolepsy. "Now the jet is ruined, and rain! Let's have some rain! Why not? It can't get any more miserable than thi-"

A bolt of green energy shot past his face to cut his sentence short. He reflexively backpedaled and searched around frantically for its source. To his right a dark, haggard figure emerged from over a jagged outcropping that had been formed by the enemy jet as it had plunged into The Grid. It was the enemy pilot. He was doubled over - clearly injured - with a rifle clutched in both hands pointed right at him.

"USER! You're coming with me!" the man growled as he hobbled forward at him. Duo tensed and felt white-hot anger begin to boil up from his stomach to sear the center of his chest. His fists clenched and his shoulders began to shake as his rage swept across his mind and dulled any other thought or sensation.

"You want me? COME AND FUCKIN' GET ME!" Duo screamed. He grabbed his disc from his back and, fueled by frustration and fury, ran at him.

"Duo!" he heard Trowa call after him as he bolted.

As he neared the enemy Duo could make out more details in the darkness. The haggard figure seemed pieced together, everything about him mismatched. He wore a grungy white light suit beneath a variety of strangely colored and shaped panels of makeshift armor. Unlike the sleek, black style of the Tron City programs this guy seemed roguish and rough, wild and uncultured.

The enemy didn't shoot. Duo knew that he wouldn't. They wanted something he had, and he knew that if they derezzed him whatever that was would be lost. As he got within attacking range he wound his arm back and swung. The rough program caught his disc with the stock of his rifle and parried him. He tried to plant a kick at his torso but Duo managed to duck the attack, sidestepped and swung again. Dodge, parry, deflect. They danced around one another, Duo swinging wildly at his opponent while the program tried to fend off his flurry of attacks.

"GAAAAHHH!" Duo screamed, pulled back and with a furious swing he managed to connect his glowing blue and white disc. He slammed it into the top of the enemy's shoulder and sliced down towards the center of his chest. The program's scream was cut off by the resolution of derez and Duo soon found himself alone, standing atop a mound of black grid matter, twitching as his energy continued to flux. He dropped to his knees and stared down at the radiant white and blue disc in his hands. He had never killed anyone in his life and, despite the fact that these constructs weren't exactly 'alive', he found himself sliding uncontrollably into a swelling wave of shock.

"What the hell… what the HELL!" he yelled down at the disc. "Ugh… I just wanna go home… fuck this."

Trowa watched the dramatic scene unfold from nearby as he stood within the lightning and heavy rain. He was about to set Heero's lifeless body down so he could run to Duo's aid, but the User ended the fight almost as quickly as it had started. Now he watched the other bend over with his hands and knees on the ground, disc clutched between his hands.

It was clear that Duo was in a state of shock. While Trowa knew he should go over and comfort the stunned User, they couldn't linger out there for long. There might be more Outlanders lurking nearby and it was dangerous to stand out in the open like this. The area surrounding Arjia city wasn't safe after The Purge. "W...we have to go. Follow me."

* * *

The rain fell in heavy sheets, soaking them through their clothes and making their hair stick to their faces in a miserable way. Trowa hadn't been caught in a storm of this magnitude in a long while. He kept quiet for the most part and trudged on, noticing the dull headache from the crash was starting to dissipate and his speech was slowly going back to normal.

More than once Duo asked why they didn't just use their batons to summon their light cycles and just ride into the city rather than walk, and Trowa had to patiently explain that he couldn't put Heero on a light bike in his current state. The other wouldn't be able to hold on. Also the brightly colored lights and the noises from the bikes would draw unwanted attention. So the small group trudged through puddles of rain covering slippery rocks and made their way slowly to the ruined city.

Arjia City was nothing like how Duo had envisioned it. Kevin Flynn had written about the legendary city at length in a few of his works. He knew it to have been a place where Isomorphic Algorithms and basic programs had once lived together peacefully, and where the quasi-religious sects of Radia followers had once erected their great temples.

Duo had always been fascinated by the lore that centered around the ISOs and the Alpha-class religious and political leaders who operated out of Arjia City. According to Flynn, Radia (formerly known as Ophelia) had been one of the first Isometric Algorithms to spring to life from The Grid. She was said to have changed her own name, and to have chosen her own directive by becoming the leader of the Arjian ISOs.

Duo frowned as he walked slowly behind Trowa, his widened violet eyes took in the dark, craggy remains of what had once been a spiraling, shining and peaceful city. Because the focus of The Purge had been a genocidal act against the ISOs the city of Arjia had fallen victim as well. ISOs were the lifeblood of the city and much of the population had consisted of ISOs and ISO-sympathizers. Clu found them to be a threat to his system, made the citizens of Arjia City his primary target and destroyed them.

Now nothing seemed to be left except the gaping, hollow grey and black skeletons of a formerly prosperous city. Duo wondered what it had been like back then. Were the programs and ISOs who lived there as cold and aloof as those he had encountered in Tron City?

The hideout was located on the outskirts of the eastern side of the city. Trowa had used the small space several times whenever stopping to rest in Arjia city. As far as he could tell, no one else knew about the spot. It was always just as he had last left it. Trowa guided Duo and the hibernating program in his arms towards a three story abandoned building hidden behind the remains of a tall skyscraper. They entered through the back and crept around in the dark until they found the room on the second floor.

Trowa pushed the door open and carried Heero inside, Duo following not far behind. He reached out in the dark and let his fingertips feel against the cool wall until he located the switch. A few seconds later the room was bathed in a dim, pale light. The hideout was small, but clean and dry. There was a makeshift full-sized bed in the corner and a large window on the far facing wall with its glass still intact. It was sparse in furnishings, but it was safe and they'd be able to sleep here tonight.

Trowa carried Heero over to a chair and set him down, his arms glad to be free from the burden of carrying extra weight. He slipped his wet jacket off and draped it over the back of the chair. Everyone was soaking wet and they needed to dry off and put on fresh clothes. "There should be some towels in the cabinet over there." Trowa gestured towards the opposite end of the room and waited for Duo to retrieve them.

He stood over Heero's limp form and careful removed his disc and set it on the top of an empty dresser. Next he began to remove the wet clothes that were stuck to Heero's body, starting with the black tank top. The hibernating program was unable to hold his own weight up, so when Trowa yanked the tank top off Heero slumped heavily forward. The taller program had to quickly grasp his bare shoulders to steady him. It was then that Trowa noticed a rather large scar that ran diagonally across the back of Heero's left shoulder blade. He let the other program rest the side of his face against his abdomen while he surveyed his exposed back, frowning as his hand reached out and trailed his fingers over the intense scar.

Duo returned with an armful of folded towels in hand. "How did you find this place huh? It's got everything. I mean, there was mouthwash in the bathroom. It's funny, you guys don't have any toilets. I guess if you don't eat ya don't really need 'em…" Duo rambled as he passed through the door. He stopped when he saw Trowa inspecting the unconscious program's exposed back. He raised an eyebrow at him as he walked up to the bed and dropped the pile of towels down before he snatched one up and rubbed at the top of his rain-soaked head and shoulders to dry them.

"That's a pretty weird lookin' scar," he observed casually as he peered at the diagonal gouge in the other program's back. It appeared to be deep, and unlike scarring he had seen in his own world, this scar was grey-blue with small pixelated flecks lining its edges. It appeared to be slightly faded which made it seem as it if were very old.

Duo draped his towel over his shoulders and grabbed a second one before he approached them. He decided to try and make himself useful and began to pat the unconscious program's back to help dry him.

"Why did he ask for your help? What's his story?" Duo didn't know the first thing about this other program aside from Trowa's previous statement about trying to help him 'get home'.

Up until this point Trowa had avoided giving Duo any information on where they were going or who he was. The User was slowly gaining his trust and Trowa felt comfortable enough to start answering his questions.

"To get you out of the System and back to where you came from, I have to take you to the Gate. It's the only way out…" Once they finished drying Heero's chest and back off Trowa gently pushed him against the chair, squatting down in front to start undoing his wet pants. Deft hands worked at pushing the fabric down Heero's narrow hips.

"I'm part of a group called Aether. My motive is to protect the Gate and the Gatekeeper, Elios. I'm also known as 'the Runner'. It's my job to escort select programs or Users to the Gate." Trowa grabbed the towel and started to dry Heero's lower half off, eyes traveling over the program's nether regions before quickly looking away. "Heero… said he used to be an Aether Guard and that he needs help finding his way back. His memory has been erased."

Duo helped him to get the deactivated program dry as best he could. He tossed the towel over Heero's head and began roughly fluffing his hair to dry it before yanking his torso back by the back of his neck to keep him from slumping forward while Trowa worked on his legs.

"I thought you said you don't know each other," Duo said as he dabbed at the dim, cyan blue lines drawn into Heero's chest with the towel. "When you guys fought earlier it was like you'd done that before. If he's an Aether guard you woulda met him before, right?"

"I don't know him." Trowa finished drying Heero off, stood up and put his hands on his hips. "I know most of the Aether guards, but not all… And I can't explain why we fought well together. It's strange…I don't know." He frowned as he thought about it, and then shook his head.

Trowa gripped the bottom of his white t-shirt and quickly pulled the fabric up and off of his body, eager to get out of the cold, wet material. Thin rivulets of water ran down his chest and over his hard abs. They traveled further south until they disappeared under the waistband of his tight black pants. Trowa unzipped his pants, and wiggled out of them until he stood there fully exposed and naked with no shame before he walked over to the bed and grabbed another towel so he could dry his body off.

"Huh," Duo studied the long, lithe body of his companion program as he stripped. Trowa was quite the looker, clad in thick, sinewy muscles and smooth, tight skin. He had noticed that the tall program has similar cyan lines as Heero, though his were significantly brighter. He assumed it was because he was activated and had energy.

Duo found the way the programs operated fascinating, though he knew very little about them. Flynn's writings had been focused on the cities and the politics of the world. He had given very little information about the programs themselves, or how they went about their daily lives. Hilde had had lines on her body similar to these two, though hers had been in a different pattern. He looked down at Heero's cyan pattern. The unconscious program's lines matched bilaterally across his entire body. They started at what appeared to be behind his ear and traveled down the sides of his neck to his collar bone, where they made a 90 degree angle and ran along his shoulders before doubling back to create a parallel line with the first. Then they dove down the center of his chest, zig-zagged and then plunged down his abdomen, traced the raised muscles over the dips in his pelvis and then finally flared outward to line his legs. He looked up at Trowa and watched him as he rubbed the rain from his body, blinked and then looked back at Heero.

The pattern on their bodies was the same. Duo thought it was unusual, but he figured maybe it was a thing all of the Aether guards had. Besides, he didn't want to admit to Trowa he had been checking him out. He smirked at the thought, tilted Heero back and made sure that he wouldn't fall out of his chair before he started to dry his own arms and legs off with the towel from around his shoulders.

"So how does this work?" Duo asked as he studied his leathery suit. "You guys take your clothes off, but what about this thing?" He gestured to his tightly fitted light suit. "How do I even take this thing off?"

"Let me show you," Trowa said as he draped his towel around his shoulders and walked over to Duo. He took the disc from the User's back and flipped it on its side and activated it so that it projected a web of blue data. He held his index finger up and ran the tip over a specific line of code. Duo's light suit instantly pixelated and dissolved from his body, leaving him standing there nude. "There." Trowa offered the disc back and tossed Duo a towel so he could dry off.

Trowa politely averted his gaze and went over to grab his own disc off the top of the dresser. His fingers tinkered with the code and Duo watched as Trowa's jacket and black pants pixelated and disappeared, as if the program had stored them in his disc. Once he was done drying off, Trowa accessed a piece of code that quickly covered his lithe body in his own light suit.

Duo hurriedly dried off before tossing his towel on the floor in the corner of the room. He picked up his disc and turned it over curiously in his hands.

"Uh… oh, wait. There it is," he muttered. He was a fast learner, and he was rather tech savvy. It didn't time him long to figure out the menus and within moments a freshly pixelated light suit skimmed across his body. He set his antique disc back on the dresser and eyed the room. It was small, and the bed was barely sufficient for two people. He raised an eyebrow at it and gestured to Heero.

"So what are we supposed to do with him? And I mean… I guess I can sleep on the floor," he said as he gestured to the bare spot beside the bed.

Trowa reached down and brushed his hand over Heero's shoulder, wondering about that strange scar again. He couldn't get the image out of his mind, unsure why he was so fixated on it. The other program's skin was ice cold to the touch. Normally programs were pretty susceptible to the cold, but Heero seemed to have fallen victim to the chilled environment's effects.

Trowa frowned. "We can all fit in the bed… it gets really cold here at night and I only have one blanket." He grabbed Heero's disc next and selected his light suit so that the other was no longer sitting there naked. Trowa was exhausted and in need of some sleep, and it was starting to show in his laggy movements and tired voice. He turned around and picked Heero up off the chair, carrying him over to the makeshift bed.

Duo grabbed Heero's legs and helped Trowa haul the smaller program up onto the center of the bed and shoved Heero over until he was lying on his back.

"Man, I'm beat…" Duo grumbled as he grabbed the unconscious program by the light suit-clad ankle and forced his feet together to make more room. He climbed over Heero's body and slumped down beside him and then stared up at the bare ceiling, yawning widely. "So tomorrow where are we goin'?" He grabbed the corner of the blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed and began tugging it up over their bodies.

"We head into the Outlands tomorrow and then we have a few more days of travel left until we reach Elios." Trowa picked the discs and batons up from the dresser and walked them into the closet to place them in a secret alcove. He hid them in the dark for extra security reasons, just incase they were attacked during the night or Heero woke up and snooped around. Trowa still didn't trust the other program.

He returned to the room and walked over to the bed after flicking the light switch off. Trowa crawled onto the empty side of the mattress and laid his long body down, tugging the covers up over himself. Duo had been right, their sleeping space was indeed tight with three people but right now he was too tired to care. Trowa pressed his form against Heero's and closed his eyes.

"Night…" He called out to the User across the mattress.

"Hmmnn… yeah, g'night," Duo mumbled and in less than a millisecond he was out like a light.

* * *

Heero reactivated to the sensation of pressure against both sides of his body. He ran his tongue across his dry lower lip and forced his eyes to crack open. He had only ever overloaded once before shortly after he had been compiled and he had no idea what D-FILE had done to restore him. As he stared up at the ceiling he still felt sluggish, his vision slightly blurred. It took him a few long moments to gather his thoughts and assess his situation.

He did a quick assessment of his body and realized that he was lying flat on his back against a comfortably soft surface. His fingers twitched and as he tried to push himself up to a sit but he was obstructed by something stretched firmly across his chest. He turned to his left and saw that his target, Trowa, was lying against his side, facing him with his lean, muscular left arm stretched straight out and resting heavily across his chest. Heero soon became very aware of the other program's long body pressed along his side. He stiffened and tilted his head to the left to study the sleeping figure beside him.

Trowa's right arm was bent and tucked under his head, his cheek nestled against his black light suit-clad forearm. Heero could only make out his left eye through his auburn hair which was softly lidded, its full, dark brown lashes flared thickly across his top edge of his cheek. He looked relaxed. The tension that normally played across his jaw and mouth were gone. Trowa's smooth face was refreshingly tranquil, and Heero couldn't stop staring at it.

He frowned. He was irritated with himself. He found Trowa attractive - that was a given - but the way he kept quietly fawning over him was getting ridiculous. Heero had seen plenty of handsome and beautiful programs on The Grid in his short life span. Like Trowa had said before at the End of Line Club; he was just a regular program. There wasn't anything special about him.

Except that was wrong, and Heero knew it. As much as he wanted to deny that there was anything unusual going on between them he had to face the facts. He and this program had an uncomfortable magnetic pull that kept drawing them together. He wasn't sure if it was just lust, or perhaps some form of unusual admiration, but he knew that if he didn't try to shake these unusual feelings soon they would get in the way of performing his directive.

I'm on a bed, he thought to himself as he took in his surroundings. He wasn't sure how they got there, how long he had been deactivated or where they were at this point. The last thing he remembered he was piloting the light jet as it fell into a daring dive. Clearly they had made it out of that situation without being derezzed, but where were they? Heero could only assume that this was Arjia City, the destination Trowa had previously mentioned.

He felt something hard digging into his right side. He slowly tilted his head in the opposite direction and saw the User lying beside him. Unlike Trowa, who was side-lying, pressed up against him and parallel to his own body, Duo was sprawled out on his back. The pressure he felt in his right side was soon identified as the User's knee. Duo was lying flat on his back with his legs bent, hips flexed up and open with his heels touching together. His left arm was extended outward and rested over Heero's head while the other was hanging off of the opposite side of the bed. He had what Heero assumed was supposed to be their shared thick, pale grey blanket balled up around himself. He could see him twitching and unlike Trowa, who appeared serene, Duo's face was tight and anxious, even in hibernation.

Heero frowned and turned his face back to the ceiling. He shifted to his left in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure against his side from Duo's knee, only to find himself melding into Trowa's larger frame. His right hand snaked out and grabbed the edge of Duo's hoarded blanket in an attempt to gather some for himself but the User managed to hold firm. It wouldn't budge.

He blinked wearily and gave up the fight for the blanket. He closed his eyes and felt his exhaustion start to lull him into hibernation. He was cold. His hair felt damp, and as he inventoried his body again he realized that he no longer wore his casual clothes. He could feel its thick, pliable fabric of his light suit wrapped tightly around his arms and legs.

I _have to destroy the Gate,_ he repeated over and over in his head a few times, hoping to comfort himself by reciting his directive. _I have to stay focused. I can't allow these feelings to get in my way._


	4. Chapter 4

Heero woke from hibernation with his face pressed firmly into something deliciously warm and smooth. He opened his eyes and realized that he had moved sometime during hibernation. He was pressed deeply into Trowa's embrace. They were now chest to chest, and Heero's nose and mouth were tucked into the side of the larger program's neck.

He blinked and instantly tried to pull away but found that Trowa's left arm was wrapped tightly around his shoulders. The arm, along with the User's knee against his lower back, prevented him from moving away. He tensed within the other program's grasp and closed his eyes tightly. Trowa wasn't moving. Was he still hibernating? Heero bit the inside of his lower lip and tried to calm the turbulent sensation that had erupted in his stomach. It wasn't the fact that he had somehow managed to press his chest into the other program's while they slept. It didn't necessarily bother him that he was literally in 'bed with the enemy', but that he really liked it.

Trowa's embrace gave him a sense of security and comfort that he had never felt before, and despite his logical mind screaming that this was incredibly wrong, he couldn't help but feel like this was the most natural thing he'd ever done. What really got his attention was not only the soothing comfort of being in this position with a stranger, but also the clarity. His processing speed was noticeably quicker, and his memory wasn't as overloaded as it had been earlier when he had first reactivated. Had he reset? He still wasn't operating at full capacity, but he did feel significantly better. He tried to slacken his arms and legs to force his body to relax.

Heero decided that he wouldn't try to get up, and when the other program finally stirred he would feign ignorance and pretend that he had no idea how any of this had happened. In the meantime he let himself take advantage of the radiant warmth against the front of his body. He found himself leaning involuntarily into the larger program's embrace. In doing so his face nestled gently against the curve of Trowa's throat and his lips brushed lightly against the taut skin of the other program's neck.

 _Destroy the Gate_ , Heero's mind echoed halfheartedly _. I have to destroy the Gate._

* * *

A loud, grating sound woke Trowa the next morning. He frowned, reluctantly opened his eyes and searched for the source of the horrible noise. His search didn't last long. Trowa's gaze settled on Duo, who was sprawled out on the bed beside him hogging the covers and taking up two thirds of the mattress. His mouth hung open and the loud noises spilled from his lips. _What the hell?_ He'd never heard that kind of noise before. Did all Users do this while they slept? What was the purpose?

Trowa's attention quickly shifted from the obnoxiously noisy User when he realized there was a warm body pressed firmly against his own. His limbs were tangled with someone else's, and there was a face resting against his neck. _Heero._ Trowa felt soft brown hair tickle his chin as he glanced down to inspect his bedmate. The other program had wedged his knee in between Trowa's thighs with a hand lying flat against his chest. He wasn't moving. Trowa definitely didn't remember falling asleep like this and he wondered how their bodies had come to form this intimate position.

He didn't pull away from the embrace. If he moved even an inch back, he'd fall off the bed. Trowa's fingers tingled and his toes twitched as his body started to wake. Without thinking he slowly trailed his hand up and down Heero's back, feeling the smooth fabric of the light suit under his fingertips. Trowa had no idea what he was doing. His body moved on it's own as it reveled in the other program's closeness. Strange new feelings ran through his system as his fingers explored, running up to Heero's neck and touching the soft hair at the nape. This felt so… familiar, but Trowa couldn't understand why.

Heero's body tensed as a hand glided up his spine. Trowa was awake, and to his surprise he was caressing him. His palm reflexively pressed hard against the other program's chest. He was preparing to shove Trowa off of him but then froze as thin fingers slid through his hair at the back of his neck. The sensation made his scalp tingle.

 _What am I doing?_ His directive and logical thought berated him. _You have to stop this. This program is the enemy. You can't let yourself become distracted. Think of your directive…_

He couldn't pull away from the other program. It felt as if he had an electromagnet active in his chest, pulling him involuntarily closer to the Runner. He applied pressure to Trowa's chest but couldn't bring himself to force him away. With every soft caress Heero found himself leaning harder into the body in front of him. He felt like he was melting, like his body had become soft like putty as it fused with the other program.

 _What is he doing to me_ …

He couldn't stop himself. The hand against his back seemed to have coaxed a reaction out of him and without thinking he slid his leg further between Trowa's so that his upper thigh began to nudge between his legs and he pressed an open-mouthed kiss against the other program's throat.

The User continued to gurgle and wheeze as he hibernated behind him.

Trowa's body reacted wildly to the kiss on his throat. He was turned on and his mind started to race at the sudden overwhelming urge to capture Heero's lips in a passionate embrace. He felt the hand on his chest push against him a few times, and knew that they should stop whatever it was they were starting, but his body ached for the other program in ways he hadn't ached for anyone else. Those soft lips against his flesh set his senses on fire. Trowa tangled his fingers in Heero's hair and gave a soft yank of frustrated longing. His hips pushed forward and he was suddenly mortified when he felt his arousal press against Heero's thigh. _Oh no!_

At the realization that he could no longer control his body and was about to do some very inappropriate things to Heero, Trowa gently untangled himself from the other program and slid off the bed. "I'm… sorry…" He muttered, unable to look Heero in the face, and took a few steps back from the bed.

As Trowa got up and pulled away from him Heero felt his face explode with electric embarrassment. He had felt the other program react and tug at his hair, and the instant after he had done that Heero had completely forgotten about his directive. He would have followed his target program's lead and done anything he had wanted him to at that point, but then Trowa had retreated from him almost as quickly as Heero had come to that conclusion. He didn't know if the tall, handsome program regretted what had happened. It didn't matter at this point.

Heero was angry, frustrated, and confused. Angry at himself for being so careless and forgetting about his directive, frustrated because what had just happened hadn't been nearly enough for him, and confused at why he was acting so irrational in the first place. He pushed himself up to a sit and ran his hand through his hair, avoiding the other program's gaze, and swung his legs over the side of the bed so he could stare down at the floor between his feet.

"I'm sorry, too…" he didn't know what else to say.

Now that Duo had the entire bed to himself his limbs stretched out and he began to roll around, his processors finally activating. He sat up and rubbed his face with his palm before eyeing the other two closely. "Hey, you guys up already? Shit… " he stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "Man, I slept like the dead. Heh… how did you two sleep?"

Heero didn't answer him.

"Fine." Trowa turned away, retreating to the closet to grab their discs and batons. The light suit was unforgiving and he knew his erection was obvious. He silently berated his body for responding so eagerly towards Heero. _How dare you._ Trowa focused on pushing the sexual thoughts from his head. Now that they were all up they could get ready to head out.

Duo blinked as he noticed the front of Trowa's light suit appeared fuller than usual. Having seen the guy naked, he knew that at default the guy wasn't hung THAT thick, but he figured maybe it was just like a human's. Maybe programs rocked a woody in the morning too, though he couldn't imagine why any User would code in such an inconvenience. He hopped up off of the bed and took his disc from Trowa once it was offered, snapped it against his back and peered out the window at the darkened city beyond. The Grid was always so dark and dreary, and it was really starting to get to him. At least it had stopped raining.

Heero bit his lower lip as the User bounced happily around the room. He took his disc from Trowa without looking the other program in the face and snapped against his back.

* * *

As their guide led them out of the abandoned building and through the decimated city Heero made it a point to keep Duo between them, trailing along at the rear of their group as they trekked through the half-crumbled towers and piles of rubble that had once been Arjia City.

"I read that this place was really somethin' back in the day," Duo said conversationally as he strolled along between the two moody programs. "Hey, Trowa, are you a follower of that chick Radia?"

"Not exactly, but the person I serve is." Trowa said plainly. He'd never been one for any form of religion, but he respected his Master Controller's beliefs. Elios was a strict follower of Radia's teachings, and through him Trowa had learned much about her.

Radia, a soft-spoken, gentle, and empathetic ISO, had been a powerful political figure and the leader of Arjia City's Isomorphic Algorithms. Once mentored by Flynn, she shared her knowledge of the Users among her followers, uniting ISOs and basics under the common goal of one day accessing the real world. She fought for equal treatment of all who lived on the Grid, disregarding impurities by finding beauty in the flaws. This was a belief Trowa could admire.

Trowa had vague memories of Arjia City before it was destroyed, but he couldn't remember the details. He knew that he and Elios were from here, and that this was where Aether was formed. But after the Purge everyone who survived had fled. No one lived in Arjia City anymore.

Duo nodded and reflexively tried to put his hands in his pockets, having forgotten that he had no pockets in his light suit. He frowned, wiggled his arms and decided to prop them up folded behind his head instead. As he loped along he cast a glance behind him at Heero, who was walking with even steps, his eyes downcast to Duo's heels.

"Hey, while you were takin' a nap me and Trowa here did some pretty epic dogfighting, huh Tro?" Duo said brightly. Despite how hectic things had been the night before his anxiety was now gone. Now that he was rested and everything was calm he could really reflect on what had happened. "Except that last jerk who made us crash. Poor Trowa here had to lug your limp ass all the way from the outskirts to the safe house."

Heero looked up at the last statement and cast a surprised look at the back of the taller program.

Trowa said nothing in response. He didn't feel like it was a big deal. His responsibility was to safely guide those in need to the Gate and he wasn't going to leave anyone behind, even if it meant carrying them for hours through a rainstorm, no matter how inconvenient that had been. It wasn't Heero's fault for going into system overload.

Bowing his head, Trowa ruminated on the incident from earlier that morning. He still couldn't understand why his body had acted on its own accord, responding to the intimate closeness with the other program the way it had. It was confusing because he had never responded that intensely with anyone else, not even with Elios. The sensation was new, and it was all his mind could focus on.

"Anyway, who were those guys? The dude that came out of that crashed jet looked crazy," Duo recalled with a frown. "And their jets were all green and weird lookin'. They were fast, too. We couldn't get away from 'em."

Heero crossed his arms over his chest and found himself transfixed by the pendulum swing of the User's long, chestnut-colored braid as he walked. "Sounds like they were Outlanders," he deduced quietly. Duo looked over his shoulder at him and dropped his arms from behind his head to rest his palms against his hips as he strolled.

"Outlanders? Sounds like some sort of B-rated dystopian movie villain," Duo replied. He kicked at a glossy, rectangular obsidian rock with the toe of his boot and watched as it skipped and bounced along the dark ground to vanish in the shadows between two half-decimated buildings. Heero frowned at Duo's back.

"I don't understand any of your references," he replied plainly, "but an Outlander is a formidable opponent. They are self-outcasted criminals who make their living stealing and stripping basic programs of their equipment and code to sell in the underground markets." Heero knew plenty about Outlanders from his association with D-FILE. His organization worked as a special forces unit for the Tron System Security Division, but often they were required to do covert operations that involved direct dealings (and favors from) unsavory groups. When they needed some dirty work done it wasn't unusual for them to call upon the roguish Outlanders to help them accomplish it. Heero had never dealt with an Outlander personally, but during his initial training with D-FILE he had heard reports about some of their activities.

The fact that they were pursuing them was unsettling.

They continued to walk through the shadowy ruins of Arjia City single-file and in relative silence for almost an hour before Duo broke the silence again.

"How can you stand it being so dark here all the time?" he asked. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger and a deep frown had glazed over his previously cheerful features. Heero saw Trowa glance over his shoulder but the taller program failed to reply. Heero decided to indulge Duo's questions. It was something to pass the time, and the casual banter from the User made for a decent distraction from the uncomfortable atmosphere that now hung over them.

"What do you mean by 'dark'? As opposed to…" Heero quickened his pace until he matched Duo's stride and casually walked beside him.

"Opposed to light. You know, light and dark? It's always so damn dark in here. Doesn't it ever get brighter out on The Grid? I guess you don't have sunlight, so…"

"Sunlight?" Heero eyed the User curiously. He had never heard of such a thing.

"Jesus, are you serious? You don't know what sunlight is? Man, I feel sorry for you guys." Duo couldn't believe that this program didn't at least KNOW what the Sun was, but the more he thought about it, the more the fact Heero had no frame of reference for such things made sense. Why would a program need to know about the sun, or the stars or planets? They were creations with a singular purpose, and all they needed to know was how to do a specific job. The thought made him feel bad for them. What kind of existence was that, to just live for a singular purpose and never get the chance to explore a new world or to be able to muse about different, fantastical things?

"Tell me about the Sun," Heero requested, his expression serious and contemplative. Duo grinned. Heero's curiosity was kind of cute. He noticed that, unlike before, the shorter program was more expressive and animated. He also hadn't stuttered or glitched out since they had woken up.

"So get this. You guys are just a small part of an enormous universe. Like this place here," Duo gestured with both hands to the dark planes of The Grid that surrounded them, "this is just a smaller universe within a bigger world, that is set within an enormous universe! Like outside of here there is where I am from: Earth. It's a planet, a ball of molten rocks with a thin crust where people like me live. And that rock circles this giant ball of mostly hydrogen gas called the Sun. This thing is fuckin' huge, right? And it has this shit called 'gravity' that forces the rock I live on to rotate around it. The Sun puts off light and that light hits where I live on Earth. We use that light for everything. Energy, food, to calculate time…"

Heero took in the User's words and carefully considered all that he had said. It was a hard thing to accept. He knew that the Users came from a world beyond their own, but in the legends it was described as more of a finite spectral plane. The idea that the User was somehow like them - a mere speck of insignificance within a much larger realm - was difficult to wrap his head around.

Programs struggled with self-worth and purpose all the time. Often when a program aged it found that it no longer had a function or held a significant purpose. Many programs destroyed themselves for that reason.

"Anyway, the point I was tryin' to make is that this place is a bummer. Like, I'm used to the Sun. I crave that light. I live on an island. It's like a chunk of land surrounded by water, right? There's sunlight all the time, and all year long there's nothing but warmth and good times. Heh, who knows, maybe you an' Tro over there can come visit me sometime," Duo said with a faint smile.

Heero pursed his lips and found his gaze drawn back to Trowa, who was dutifully leading them to a destination still unknown. He peeled his eyes away from the finely formed shoulders bound tightly beneath the matte black fabric and tried not to dwell on the events from earlier.

"So, Heero, what's up with that scar on your back," Duo asked. Heero blinked and cast a narrowed gaze at the User.

"You saw my scar? How?" he asked, his body automatically stiffened defensively.

"Yeah, well you were soakin' wet from the rain so me and Tro stripped ya down and that's when we saw it," Duo explained with a smirk. "I mean, I saw ALL of it," he teased with a chuckle. His taunt won him a cold glare from Heero in response.

"I don't remember exactly how I got it," Heero said plainly. "I lost those memories."

"Huh, that sucks," Duo said with a huff. "Whatever did that to you musta been crazy strong. I'm surprised it didn't kill- urm… derez ya. Anyway, I guess it may be a good thing you don't remember shit like that, right? At least now you have a badass battle scar," he added quickly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

The mention of the mysterious scar piqued Trowa's interest. He looked over his shoulder at the two following him, mind vividly remembering the mark across Heero's shoulder. It was obvious that the other program had been struck from behind. It looked like a disc injury, possibly sustained while fighting. Maybe it had to do with Heero's memory loss?

Trowa's own body was littered with small scars here and there, but nothing as intense as Heero's. Duo was right, the other program was lucky he hadn't been derezzed. It was clear Heero couldn't provide any more insight, so Trowa continued to keep quiet.

"Hm…" Heero had seen Trowa look back at him at the mention of his scar. He had never felt uncomfortable about his own body before but the idea that they had seen him unclothed was somewhat unsettling. The fact that Trowa had carried him so far and had gone to such lengths to care for him also forced a stab of guilt to run through him.

Heero knew that he was using the other program to perform his directive. He needed the Runner to lead him to the hidden location of the Gate so he could destroy it. It was nothing personal against Trowa. As time went on Heero was finding himself becoming more impressed with the handsome, quiet program. He fought well, was resourceful, performed his duties according to his own directive admirably and-

Heero's mind snapped to the earlier awkward moment between them in the bed. The flesh over his spine tingled as he recalled those long, slender fingers gliding up the back of his light suit, the firm tug on his hair, and that the warm hardness urgently pressing against his thigh. He bit his lip hard in an attempt to drown those thoughts out with pain. It was becoming an ever-present conflict in his mind. No matter how much he tried not to think about the strange, inexplicable connection he had with the other program it still cropped up frequently in his thoughts. He knew that something had happened during hibernation. He had woken up more alert and clear-headed than he had felt in months. He didn't know what caused the sudden improvement in his condition. Clearly it had something to do with the other program, but what?

"Man, how much more are we gonna have to walk?" Duo griped. He began to fall behind, his pace slow and sluggish. "I know you said we can't use bikes or whatever, but I still don't understand why. How far away is this place gonna be? I mean, seriously… it feels like we've walked a hundred miles today." The User stretched his arms over his head and kicked at a rock as he shuffled slowly behind them. "Can we take a break? I could use a power nap or something."

"Light cycles draw too much attention." How many times had Trowa repeated this? He lost count. "We can stop for a break. We still have about two days worth of travel until we reach the destination. When we get closer we'll use a light runner the rest of the way to get over the rough terrain." It seemed Users didn't have as much energy as programs. Trowa made a mental note of that.

The group walked for a little longer until they found a safe place to stop. Trowa spotted shelter under two giant slabs of obsidian-colored rock. He was hesitant to stay for very long because the odds of more Outlanders roaming around were high. They could let Duo nap while one of them stood guard.

As soon as they had arrived within the naturally formed shelter of the rocks, Duo found a prime spot to lounge on a smooth shelf that jutted from the rock itself. He flopped down onto his back against the cool surface and stretched his entire body out with a yawn. "Gonna walk me to death," he grumbled as he crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. He was starting to feel the effects of not having natural sunlight to fuel him.

Despite his body being digitized and formed into a digital construct, Duo's brain was still completely intact and it's thoughts were unaltered. His physical being may not have needed the Vitamin D that came with sun exposure, but his mind thought that it did. All of the stress and craziness that had happened since his arrival on The Grid, along with the dreary environment of the place was causing him to feel emotionally and physically drained. All he wanted to do was sleep, and within moments he was rasping and snoring loudly.

Heero took a seat on a black boulder with his back to the alcove and looked out over the vast, barren expanse of the Outlands. He was tired, but unlike the User, he wasn't ready to willingly admit it.

"I'll take first watch," he said plainly to Trowa, the first thing he had said directly to him since they had left Arjia City.

"I'm not tired," Trowa stated, taking a seat on the ledge a comfortable distance from Heero. The unusual sounds escaping the User's mouth echoed off the walls around them and added an irritating note to the otherwise quiet, calm ambience of the dark environment. Trowa tried his best to block the noise out while he let his gaze drift out onto the vast landscape of the Outlands. He relaxed his posture, rolled his shoulders and propped himself up with his arms so that he could lounge his long body back into a more comfortable position.

"You seem to be doing better today." Trowa murmured after they had sat there in 'silence' for a long while. The tension between the two programs still lingered, but there really wasn't anything to say about the awkward interaction from earlier that morning, so maybe it was better left unaddressed. Trowa looked cautiously over at Heero, studying the other's serious profile.

"I am better," Heero replied casually. He could feel the other program's gaze settling on him and he resisted the urge to look back in return. Instead he studied the darkened horizon and its flickering ambient arcs of white hot energy that occasionally illuminated the dismal, distant terrain.

"I'm sorry for being such a burden on you. I appreciate your help, and the effort and risk you are taking to lead us to our destination…" Heero added.

Heero didn't like the sound of his own voice just now. It was oddly business-like, and reminded him of the ever-present rift that lie between him and the rest of The Grid and its programs. He knew that he only existed for one purpose, and that he had been directed to avoid developing any attachments to the world around him. Attachments were a liability, and they had the potential to prevent him from accomplishing his directive.

 _Is this why I feel so empty_ , Heero wondered with a frown. He narrowed his eyes at the horizon and sighed. He hadn't felt this empty earlier when he had first come out of hibernation.

Perhaps this was why he felt so drawn to the other program? Not only was he experiencing a physical response to Trowa when he was near, but he felt an undeniable, subtle kinship with him. The Runner worked alone, and operated under dangerous conditions. It paralleled his own existence, and he couldn't help but wonder what things would have been like if he hadn't been installed with his limiting directive. Would he be free to mingle with other programs? Would he be able to form friendships and bonds with others?

D-FILE often lamented that Radia was a heretic. The ISO was known as a rabble-rouser, and the cause of many dysfunctions on The Grid. Heero had never given her legends much thought, but now that he knew more about her and her followers before. Now he felt as if he were betraying his former teachings by even considering it. Despite all that he knew about the trouble that the ISOs caused, and all of the conflict Radia and her followers had made, he found himself wondering about her and her teachings.

 _What would it be like to choose your fate and your own direction in the world,_ he wondered.

"This is the furthest I've ever been from Tron City," Heero confided as he attempted to divert the topic but still maintain their conversation. He wondered if he could get the other program to divulge any more information to him now that the User was temporarily out of the equation. He sighed and finally glanced over his shoulder at the lounging, lean program beside him and made no attempt to hide that he was watching him. He saw Trowa's casual posture and decided to emulate his position. He shifted his weight back and leaned on his palms as well, his eyes never leaving the Runner's face. "How far do you travel from Tron City while on these runs?"

"Further into the Outlands." Trowa answered. "As far away from the city as we can get." He looked over to finally catch Heero's gaze, holding it steady with his own. Now that he had those deep blue eyes on him, he didn't want to let them go. Both programs were sitting in the same position, bodies parallel. Trowa wondered if that was intentional.

Heero's jaw clenched as the Runner avoided divulging any specifics. He had considered getting the other program to just tell him where the Gate was located rather than continue this ruse of being a broken guard, but it seemed that Trowa guarded his secrets well.

 _I could seduce him._ Heero's eyes widened slightly at the thought. It was a tactic he hadn't fully considered before. His original plan was to just to continue pretending that he was a former Aether guard, infiltrate the location and destroy the Gate (and possibly the Gatekeeper if needed). Why would he need to seduce this other program, other than for self-fulfillment? Despite his infallible logic telling him it wasn't necessary Heero shifted his weight against his hands and in doing so slid one of them closer to Trowa's until their pinky fingers touched. _But I could seduce him..._

"How long have you been doing this?" Heero asked slowly, his dark eyes practically boring into Trowa's green.

"As long as I can remember. Sometime after the Purge when a lot of programs went into hiding." Trowa carefully slid his hand away, freeing his pinky from the sudden contact. He felt his cheeks tingle with heat as Heero stared him down. _Why is he giving me that look?_ His body was starting to react after just the slightest of touches. _Stop betraying me,_ he mentally berated himself as he tore his gaze away from Heero's.

Heero immediately noticed the other program's aversion to his touch, though from the confused-looking tension on Trowa's face it was clear that his avoidance didn't stem from disgust. His mind raced back to the bed, and how easily the Runner had fallen into familiarity with him. He knew it was unnecessary to try and win him over like this. He didn't need to take it this far. He could just keep his head down and accomplish his directive without any need for personal connections, but something in Heero was inexplicably drawn to Trowa, and he knew that now he was just trying to justify pursuing it. As long as he could justify his actions to himself he could act on them.

 _This isn't for me. This is for my directive_ , Heero reasoned resolutely.

"I don't know why, but I feel like I know you." Heero turned his body slightly towards Trowa but made no further moves to touch him. "You feel it too."

"Yes." Trowa looked back at the other program. "There is something going on here that feels familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time." So Heero was feeling it too; that undeniable urge to touch, to explore, to move closer to each other, like two magnets slowly coming together. The urges nagged at his conscious relentlessly and were slowly breaking down his resolve.

"I don't know what you're doing to me. Or why… What do you want?" Trowa's asked softly.

The question caught Heero off guard. _What did he want?_ He wanted to feel normal, and this program -for some inexplicable reason- made him feel that way. He glanced over his shoulder to look at the User, who was now curled up on his side into a tight ball, deep in his hibernation phase.

 _I could stop this right now,_ Heero's rational mind nagged at him. _And we could just leave it at that._ But he didn't want to. His entire existence up until this point was centered around his directive, every waking moment spent finding the guide to the Gate. He had accomplished that much already. Now all he could do was wait, and he was free to do as he pleased until then, wasn't he?

"I want to know why I feel this way about you," he admitted honestly as his eyes drifted back to Trowa's face. "When I came out of hibernation earlier I felt better than I have felt in weeks. I don't know why. It makes no sense," he explained as his hand slowly crept across the top of the rock to Trowa's, only this time he let it glide up and over the other program's to completely cover it. As he did a sharp, powerful tingling sensation erupted beneath his hand.

The sensation caught Trowa completely by surprise. His eyes widened as the jolt rushed from their joined hands and coursed through his system, all the way down to his nether regions. A breathy, low, erotic moan pushed past his lips at the sudden loss of control over his body. _What was that?_ He looked away, embarrassed by his reaction. _What is he doing to me?_

Once again Trowa removed his hand from Heero's touch, as if he was scared of completely losing control. An unfamiliar sense of vulnerability crept over him and made him close his eyes in shame.

Heero suppressed a smile as he saw the other program's reluctant reaction.

"Why do you deny me," Heero murmured, his eyes never leaving Trowa's face. He shifted his upper body on the rock and began to move in closer to him. "Why do you deny this," he added before he reached out to slide the tip of his index finger at an excruciatingly slow pace up the inside of Trowa's light suit-clad arm.

"I owe you nothing." Trowa wouldn't look at the other as that finger cruelly ran up his overly sensitive arm. Deny the other what? What did he want? Was this just a game to him?

Heero frowned. This program was either playing hard to get, or he wasn't interested and Heero couldn't tell which it was. He was going to have to try harder if this was going to work. Trowa wouldn't look at him, but he wasn't stopping his touch, either. His finger traveled the entire length of the other program's long arm and then slid up to his shoulder where the single digit was replaced by Heero's firm hand.

"You're right," Heero replied quietly so as not to alert the User. "I'm the one who owes you. Let me repay you…"

He didn't get a chance to finish that sentiment. The air around them shook as a bright, neon green laser shot blasted through the air and struck Heero. The energy from the blast spiderwebbed across his body as it sent a disrupting shockwave through his being. Part of the shock burned into Trowa's shoulder before Heero fell over onto his side and started convulsing with a groan.

From the nearby shadows came five dark, shrouded figures with disruption rifles trained on them.

"Surrender now, before we have to hurt you too, Runner," growled a gravely voice from the darkness.

Trowa was standing up with his light sword already drawn the moment Heero's body hit the ground. His eyes narrowed on the five figures moving towards them. _Outlanders._ "What do you want?" He made no move to put his weapon away and stood over Heero's body in a wide, protective stance.

"We heard there was a User in Tron City," a high-pitched, nasally voice said from beneath a black hooded cloak. The owner of the voice gestured to the cave with the end of his rifle. "And that a few of our buddies in C-Sector got shot down by someone in a light jet. Figured it may have been you…"

The figures were creeping up on them slowly. Heero had reflexively curled into the fetal position and was still twitching uncontrollably as the burning fingers of the active disruption shot continued to crawl up and down his body. He bit back a pained groan and peered through the space between Trowa's wide-set feet at the ominous figures as they continued on their approach.

"Heh, so which one is this, huh?" a third voice asked as it pointed at Heero on the ground. "This must be the User?"

"Naw. motherfuckers." The bold, loud statement came from behind Trowa. Duo emerged from the alcove with his antique disc raised and ready. He stepped up onto the boulder behind Trowa and glared at the enemies menacingly. "I don't know who you assholes are, but ya woke me up from my nap and unfortunately for you guys, I'm a cranky prick when I'm tired."

The third figure took aim and shot his disruptor at Duo.

Trowa sidestepped in front of Duo and swung his sword with lightning speed, its purple beam making contact with the green laser to send it flying back in the direction of the Outlander holding the gun. "There aren't any Users here. You're mistaken." He made sure his taller body was blocking Duo's as he held the sword up again, ready to deflect another shot.

"No one told me the Runner would be such a pretty-boy." The gravely voiced figure smirked from beneath his hood as he put his hands on his hips. "With a purple sword…"

Duo didn't like the guy's tone. He snarled, irritated, and jumped off of the boulder to stand beside Trowa, convinced that he didn't need any saving. His fingers fumbled with his disc as he sought for a better grip.

"Heh, look at that old disc. Stupid, 8-bit program," the nasally voice said with a laugh. Duo tensed and started marching angrily at them but was stopped by a hard grip on his ankle. He stumbled and stared down at Heero. Despite his quivering body Heero managed a weak, discouraging shake of his head.

"Even if there's no User here, we've still got three programs ripe for the harvesting," the gravelly voice said darkly. His companions chuckled and snickered from beneath their own hoods. "So, Runner, you must make a decision. Come quietly, otherwise you'll be derezzed. It's only you and an old-type program versus five of us. If you cooperate, we'll probably just strip you and send you out into the wastes."

"Yeah, then all you'll have to worry about is them gridbugs," a fourth, boyish voice said from the end of their formation.

Trowa wasn't one to surrender, but he also wasn't going to put his travel companions in unnecessary danger. He clenched his jaw and slowly brought the sword down, the beam disappearing back into the base of the baton. He held his hands up in surrender.

"That's what we like to see, someone with smarts," the boyish voice said as the figures came closer with their rifles still drawn. Duo scowled and glanced at Trowa with his eyebrows raised before he reluctantly returned his own disc to his back.

Heero's disruptor attack had finally dissipated, but it left him weakened. He pushed himself with trembling arms and watched as the cloaked figures came upon them with rifles at the ready.

"Don't disrupt unless you have to," the largest of the figures said from beneath his hood. "It still damanges the goods…"

"Heh, yeah, it damages them goods," a rather stupid voice replied with a cackle. "Now turn around, Runner. You too, girly-boy."

"GIRLY _BOY_?!" Duo exclaimed angrily as reluctantly put his arms up. "Who the hell are you callin girly, you scrawny ass piece of shit? Stop hidin' behind your fancy toy and I'll show you some of my girly fuckin' moves, asshat!"

"Shut up!" The nasally voice said with agitation. It jammed the end of its gun into Duo's side and forced him to turn around. "Hands behind your back."

Heero could see the muscles of Trowa's legs begin to tense beneath the tight fabric of his light suit. Was he going to fight them? He didn't know the other program well, but he had never seen him just give up to passively before now. Heero waited until the gravely-voiced figure approached Trowa and dug out a pair of red, faintly glowing wrist tethers. When the figure dropped his rifle to rest at his side limply by the strap, Heero saw Trowa's weight shift to one foot. He pushed himself up to a crouch just as the Runner spun his body around into a back kick to slam his heel into the side of the large, cloaked figure's head. As the largest figure reeled from Trowa's strike Heero sprang -albeit weakly- up at him and tackled him to the ground just as he began to raise his rifle to fire at Trowa. He knocked the Outlander's hulking frame backwards against the ground. Heero pulled his disc from his back and swung it down at the large rogue program beneath him, but his strike was blocked by the blunt side of the disruptor rifle. Heero leaned high weight down as hard as he could into their locked weapons and snarled down into the enormous man's exposed bearded face.

"Don't you ever fucking touch him…" he hissed. _Where the hell did that come from,_ he thought with surprise as he struggled to hold the large Outlander down.

Duo watched Heero lunge at the big guy and while his compatriots were staring in surprise and used their distraction to his advantage. He snatched his disc from his back again and threw it at the nearest figure. It struck the enemy's shoulder and dug in deep, but the throw wasn't hard enough to derez him. The guy howled and shot his rifle at him in response, but missed.

Trowa ripped his identity disc off his back and thrust it in the direction of the Outlander who'd just received a blow from Duo. The black and blue blur moved silently through the air, continuing its wide arc even when the edges came in contact with the Outlander's throat, slicing and derezzing him on impact. As the identity disc boomeranged back Trowa grabbed it with ease and deftly returned it to his back.

Duo scrambled up to grab his disc from the ground after Trowa had effectively derezzed the enemy who had shot at him. He grumbled something under his breath along the lines of ' _that's what I did…'_ and ducked a blow from another Outlander.

Heero continued to struggle against the powerful Outlander beneath him but was losing the fight. He was weak from receiving a disruptor blast and the enemy program below him knew it. The massive figure's black, bearded mouth split into a menacing grin and with a strong, aggressive twist he wrenched the rifle out from beneath Heero's disc and slammed it hard into the side of Heero's head, sending him flying off of his body. He chuckled loudly, heaved himself up from the ground, aimed his rifle at Heero and fired. Another massive web of energy enveloped his body and forced him face-first into the black rock at his feet. The large Outlander kept his rifle pointed at Heero and pointed at Trowa with his free hand.

"You. Attack another one of my men and I'll hit him with 'nother round, and I promise you it'll be the one to end him," the man said with amusement. The other three enemies had surrounded Duo with their rifles pointed directly at him. The User was spinning on his heels with his disc raised in defense. He cast a look at Trowa, eyebrow raised, waiting for him to make a decision.

"Leave them and take me." Trowa offered, knowing that he wouldn't get away with another fake surrender this time. He put his hands to his sides and refrained from attacking. Both Heero and Duo were in compromising positions. One wrong move and he could lose both of them. "I'm worth more, anyway, and you know it. I'll go quietly if you let them go."

Heero watched through his blurry vision as the enormous figure laughed a deep belly-laugh and gestured for his companions to take Duo, who was gawking in surprise as they snatched his disc out of his hand and knocked him to his knees to tether his wrists behind his back.

"I always knew you'd make the right decision," the massive rogue said, his voice lilted with pleasure as he dropped his weapon's aim from Heero and let the rifle hang freely over his shoulder. He grabbed Trowa's shoulders and spun him around roughly, pressed a meaty hand into the center of his back and bent him over a nearby boulder.

Heero felt his entire body tense and found himself grinding his teeth angrily as the leader of the Outlanders bound Trowa's wrists against the small of his back. Two of his companions had grabbed Duo by the arms and were dragging him away and into the darkness. The third approached Heero and grabbed him by his shoulders to force him up into a crooked sit.

"Unfortunately, we're not going to let anyone just walk away from here today. Not with such high creds to be made," the Outlander leader snarled into Trowa's ear.

As the shrouded enemy slung Heero over his shoulder he could see the mountain of a program lean the front of his body hard against Trowa's, his scarred and thickly calloused hands grabbing and rubbing at his sides.

"If you didn't have such a high bounty from the system security I would keep you for myself," the giant Outlander said as he plucked Trowa's disc from his back. The sight of Trowa bent over the boulder was putting Heero into a violent fit of rage. Despite the burning sensation still lingering on his skin, and the weakness from the subsequent disruptor attacks, Heero's body shook with loathing.

 _You're going to regret this._ Trowa made a mental promise that he'd personally dereze this heavy bastard the first chance he got. He felt a big, cruel hand on his backside, groping his ass roughly before sliding between his covered thighs. Trowa snarled and lifted a leg up and shoved his boot straight back against the Outlander's shin.

The Outlander took the kick with a grunt.

"Oh, so we're going to have to play THIS little game, huh?" he said in a deep, bellowing voice as he fished under his cloak for another set of tethers. He leaned his left forearm hard against the small of Trowa's back to pin him there while he used his right hand to loop the tether around both of his ankles and strung them together. "You're only turning me on more by fighting back," the program said with a deep, vibrating chuckle as he slung Trowa over his wide shoulder. As he followed behind his companions his hand held firmly against Trowa's upper thigh to steady him, his thick fingers slipping up the back and inside of his thigh to probe into the cleft of his ass through his tight light suit.

Heero couldn't see Trowa or the Outlander leader anymore. He hung his head and stared down at the colorless ground as it passed by while their captors carried them off to a destination unknown.


	5. Chapter 5

** Warning: This chapter contains themes and suggestions of sexual violence **

* * *

The Outlander camp was nearly a mile away. Dark, squat tents and makeshift, hodgepodge huts were crowded together in no particular pattern. Heero could see the faint outlines of light suits as they milled around through the densely packed structures. His captor dumped him into a five foot by five foot square, red force field lined cell and reactivated the entry side. Unlike Trowa and Duo, Heero was left unbound, too weak to fight them. He could see Duo in the cell beside him, seated cross-legged on the ground with his arms tied behind his back and glaring at the three Outlanders who stood just on the opposite side of the glimmering, charged barrier.

"Yo boss, where do you wanna put the feisty one?" one of the Outlanders asked as he surveyed the two already occupied force field cells. "Do we get to have fun with 'em, seein' as ya know, he killed several of our men? Or are ya keepin' him for yourself?"

Trowa squirmed against the large Outlander's shoulder, irritated with the hands that kept roaming over his body, treating him like some doll. He felt useless with his limbs tied, but nevertheless tried kneeing the bastard in the side.

The group of Outlanders laughed as they gathered around, watching the pathetic program struggle against their much larger leader.

The leader pinched Trowa's ass to punish him for trying to plant a knee in his torso and laughed with his eager companions.

"Well, I think we should have a little talk, don't you think, Runner?" he asked as he pulled his hood all the way off to expose his long, black hair. It was piled high and look in a knotted bun on the top of his head. Thin, braided wires in various metallic hues were woven through his thick, wavy locks. His short, unevenly trimmed beard framed a sharp, squared jaw. He was ruggedly handsome despite the gashes and scars that lined his chin and temple. Both ears were completely crusted over with mismatched hoops, studs and spikes. He hefted Trowa easily to an empty storage crate and dropped him roughly on the top. His three companion Outlanders inched closer like eager hyenas waiting for the violence to start.

"I have nothing to say to you." Trowa said calmly, straightening his body as he sat there. He was determined to not look defeated, no matter what happened. He wouldn't give the bastard the pleasure of seeing him squirm.

"How about you tell us why you killed our comrades?" One of the shorter Outlanders shouted out. "You pretty programs think you're better than us, huh?"

"We seem to have better hygiene." Trowa shrugged.

The largest Outlander threw his head back and laughed while his companions muttered and growled in anger.

"Jalen, you're just going to let him talk to us like that?" one of the other hooded figures asked angrily.

"He's all high and mighty NOW," Jalen said as he reached out to snatch Trowa's chin with his giant hand. "If he keeps it up, I'll just have to show him how DIRTY we can get. Right?" He leaned down and smothered Trowa's mouth with his own, forcing his tongue across the smaller program's lips, which brought a howling chorus of approval from his comrades.

"Hey, fuckbear! Stop being a disgustin' pervert, will ya?!" Duo yelled at them from his enclosure. "Seriously, you're gonna make me puke."

Heero watched from a crouched position, disgusted. _I am going to derez him… he's going to cease to exist…_ his mind began to race as his eyes frantically searched for a way to deactivate his cell.

Trowa kept his lips sealed tight, refusing to let the Outlander's tongue into his mouth. As soon as the disgusting bastard backed away, he looked up at him defiantly. "You said you wanted to talk," he breathed through his clenched jaw. "So talk." He was going to have to disinfect his lips after this.

Jalen could tell the smaller program wasn't the least bit scared of him. That realization turned him on and he knew he was going to have such much fun breaking the pretty boy in.

"You're the Runner for Elios," Jalen said cooly, his face a mere inches from Trowa's with his mighty hand still tightly grasped against his chin. "You must know what is happening in the city. Word on the Grid is that you were seen at the End of Line Club. The User was spotted there, too… now, tell me you didn't see something. Anything?" He kept his firm grasp on the smaller program's chin while he used his free hand to caress the inside of Trowa's thigh playfully, which got him a happy hoot from his colleagues. "Where is the User?"

"I haven't seen the User," Trowa lied straight to Jalen's face. "Yes, I was at the End of Line Club a few days ago, but that doesn't mean I was there at the same time. Do you believe all the gossip you hear? No one has even proven that there really is a User on the Grid." He tried yanking is chin from the beefy fingers that held it, green eyes still narrowed at the Outlander's dark ones. "Perhaps you should be searching the city. You're wasting time."

Heero watched through the shifting, glowing translucent cell wall as the leader, Jalen, continued to hold Trowa's chin in hand, recoiled the other and slammed his fist into the smaller program's face. As Heero watched Trowa fall back against the crate from the blow he felt a stinging sensation blossom across his own left cheek, the corner of his mouth and the top of his cheekbone. He reflexively pressed his hand to his face and felt the skin under his fingerts burning, hot to the touch. His shoulders started to shake with anger and he bit his lower lip hard to silence himself. If he antagonized the Outlanders now they would simply take more violent action against Trowa. Heero looked to his left at Duo, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of his enclosure, his violet eyes wide with horror as he watched the vicious Outlander lackeys tighten their circle around Jalen and Trowa.

For a moment Heero considered outing Duo. The thought surfaced quickly and soon took over the forefront of his consciousness. He didn't need the User, but he needed Trowa to get to the Gate. If they were seeking the User, they should just take him. He knew this line of thinking wasn't logical. The Outlanders had already proven that they weren't willing to allow any of them their freedom, and that they intended on stripping and scrapping all three of them.

"You're pretty catty, Runner," Jalen said with a laugh. He snatched Trowa's neck with his hand and pinned him by the throat onto his back against the crate, climbed up onto it over him and straddled his waist.

"Yeah, show that prissy null-bit program," the boyish cloaked figure hissed from the sidelines.

Trowa struggled under the weight of the heavy program, arching his back off the rough crate as his arms became trapped below. The position was uncomfortable and his head was swimming from the blow. Thick fingers laced around his neck and shoved the back of his skull against the crate, causing spasms of pain to course through his system. He could feel himself glitch ever so slightly, shoulders twitching as a soft groan pushed against his clenched teeth.

Jalen seemed to get off by the sound, smirking and squeezing the program's throat tighter. He wanted to hear the pretty boy scream. So long as he didn't permanently damage the goods, anything was fair game. "I'm going to ask you again. Where is the User?" Everyone knew the User would fetch a much higher bounty. He let up on Trowa's windpipes so the smaller program could answer.

"I don't…. know…" Trowa gasped out, his voice sounding raw and irritated. He looked up at the Outlander defiantly.

"Well, you seem to act like you know everything, mister megalodatabase," one of the cloaked figured snarled from nearby. Heero's line of sight soon became obstructed by two of the Outlanders as they watched on while their leader smashed his fist against Trowa's face again. Heero felt the same explosive pain seep up from under his flesh as the other program received the blow. He flinched and tried to stand up but the small confines forced him to remain in an uncomfortable crouch.

"Shit, listen, hey!" Duo tried to get their attention.

Heero shot a warning look at Duo and shook his head, his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched to hold back a groan from the strange phantom pains bursting across his cheek as Trowa received yet another strike. The User frowned and seemed to be struggling with keeping quiet. Heero didn't know what to do, but he knew that if the User admitted his identity now that Trowa's abuse would more than likely continue. It was clear that Jalen was enjoying himself. Heero cradled his burning face with one hand and glared through the barrier at the vicious group.

"I think you do know," Jalen said darkly, his nose brushing Trowa's. "Tell us, or we'll just have to start picking off your little friends. Right, guys?"

"Yeah, let's delete that mouthy one, first!" one of his comrades said happily.

"Fuck off, you motherfucking titpigs!" Duo growled angrily from his cell. Unfortunately his threat was received by a chorus of unintimidated laughter.

"In the… c-city…" Trowa struggled to answer, voice barely audible. "He –he's in the city…" He closed his eyes and tried to silence the loud ringing in his head caused by multiple blows to his system. Not answering was getting them nowhere, and the last thing Trowa wanted was for Jalen's attention to leave him. Maybe if he pretended to submit the Outlanders would leave Duo and Heero alone. His head rolled to the side in a weak attempt to put distance between their faces.

"We know that much," Jalen said sourly. He dropped his weight against Trowa and began to lean harder into him, his fingers tightening around his throat again. "Where was the User in the city? End of Line Club and where else? You know people there. I know you do… who has it?"

When Trowa didn't reply the Outlander scowled, bent down and bit hard into the side of his neck. Heero flinched as the bite transferred to his own neck. He couldn't see what Jalen had done, but he could feel it.

From Duo's vantage point he could see the program laying on Trowa. He pushed himself up to a low crouch and hissed angrily through the barrier. "You are all fucking cowards! Disgusting pieces of shit, yellow-bellied, asswipes!"

"Duo… shut up…" Heero groaned softly as his hand slid down his neck to press against its side.

Trowa couldn't hold it in anymore. A loud cry of pain burst through his lips and rose into the cold air as sharp teeth sank into his flesh. He could feel jolts of electricity stinging through the gash on his neck. His knees bucked in response and he lifted his legs off the crate, bringing his knees into Jalen's sides with as much force as he could muster.

Jalen grunted but barely budged. "Answer me!" He demanded, lips moving from the smaller program's neck as he stared down at him with a crazed expression.

"I-I last saw him at the club! I don't know who-who has him.. he was… by himself…" Trowa threw his head back and bit his lip as another round of pain terrorized his system. He wasn't religious by any means, but right now Trowa silently prayed Duo would keep quiet and not draw any attention away from him.

The sound of desperation in Trowa's voice forced Heero's chest to tighten. His arms were numb and his mind was swimming. He couldn't see anything at this point, but he didn't need to. He could tell Trowa was losing control. He looked over at Duo. The User was tense, his expression filled with conflict and worry.

 _I have to get out of here,_ Heero thought frantically as he studied the corners of his container. Nobody was paying him any attention so he inched closer to the right corner of his cell and ran his fingertip across the beveled inside of the joint and studied it. He didn't know what else to do. He couldn't think straight, but he needed something to focus on. He was weak, glitchy and couldn't bring his eyes to clarity, but none of that mattered. He didn't know what he would do after he got out, only that he _needed_ to.

Duo was watching Heero fumble with something in the corner of his cell. He wanted to call them off of Trowa. He couldn't stand watching them torture him anymore. He was disgusted, and pissed off. He wanted to go home. He hated the Grid, and he was beginning to wish he had never built that damn cabinet up in the first place. None of this was anything like he had expected and now his presence there was causing not only chaos on the system, but also pain to a program. He didn't know what to do.

"You DO know." Jalen pulled back, irritated that he wasn't getting any answers from the attractive, but extremely frustrating program. The noise of the other Outlanders surrounding them was deafening as they cheered. In his sudden rage Jalen wasn't able to focus. He scowled, clearly out of patience.

The big program roughly slid off Trowa and then grabbed him, slinging the limp body back over his shoulder. "I'm going to question him in private. Get me his disc!" Jalen waited for one of his lackeys to fetch the blue and black disc. "You three, keep an eye on the other prisoners, will you?" The leader pointed at the force field cages with a dark frown.

Duo watched in horror as the enormous Outlander began hauling Trowa off towards a line of black makeshift huts and tents. His hands balled into fists and before Heero could silence him again he stood up. He knocked his head against the top of his cage. He bent over and yelled, "IT'S ME! It's me! I'm the User!"

Heero pulled away from his inspection of his cell as the User made his admission and scowled. "Idiot," he seethed angrily. Now they were all as good as derezzed.

Trowa raised his head when he heard Duo's voice pierce the air. "N-no… no… " He murmured before wincing in pain. _Dammit, Duo. No!_ If anything happened to the User he was to blame. He would have failed his directive.

Everyone stopped and turned to stare at the braided program. "What was that?" Jalen looked over his shoulder, his grip on Trowa tightening with every second that passed by. He sank his fingers cruelly into the program's thigh when he realized the other had been lying to him this entire time.

His lackey ran up to him with Trowa's disc, holding it out with both hands. Jalen snatched it up, noticing the hairline crack running along the left side. "So you've been lying to me, huh?" His voice was low as he spoke to the program slung over his shoulder. "I don't like liars."

"He's n-n-not a User. I told you, I don't know where the User is, if there is even a User on the grid!" Trowa struggled.

Jalen struck Trowa hard on the back of his legs, using the program's own disc to inflect the pain. "Shut up!" His dark eyes shot back at one of the other Outlanders standing next to the holding cells. "Check the braided one."

Heero felt the pain from the blow to Trowa's leg manifest within his own. He glowered back through the force field at Duo, who continued to stand hunched over but determined in his cell as the four Outlanders approached him. One deactivated his force field while the other reached inside to grab him by the back of the neck. With his hands still bound behind his back Duo could do nothing but lunge forward to headbutt the nearest one. Soon all three collapsed to the ground in a pile of flailing limbs as they wrestled to gain control of him. After a minute of struggle the three programs managed to pin Duo prone on the ground. As they hauled him up to his feet a bright red trickle of blood slipped from his mouth and spattered on the ground at his feet.

The pair of Outlanders holding him startled at the sight of it. "Uh, Jalen… this program's got plasma coming out of his mouth."

"Shit, you hurt him, he's not gonna sell for anything if he deactivates!" one of the other Outlanders pointed out.

"I didn't hurt him! I barely touched him!"

"Quiet!" Jalen snarled. He took a few steps closer with Trowa still firmly hung on his shoulder and peered down at Duo. The corner of his grotesque mouth twitched up into a grin. "Users. Users bleed. He IS a User. Take him," he gestured at Duo with his free hand and chuckled. "Verify and scan an image of him. Send it to Tron Security, D-FILE and BEING. We'll see who will pay the highest price. Boys, we've got our meal ticket for the next ten cycles right here."

Heero watched as Duo struggled against his captors. It took all three of the remaining Outlanders to haul him away. They dragged him past the tents and huts out of sight.

"Lie to me, will you?" Jalen snarled at Trowa as he watched the other Outlanders vanish. He turned and lumbered off in the direction of a large makeshift hut and vanished beneath the flap. Heero heard a loud slam, a muffled cry and felt the entire right side of his body sting with pain.

* * *

Trowa's right side hit the wall with brute force. He stumbled, unable to hold himself up due to his bound ankles, and slid slowly down to the filthy floor. Jalen was instantly on top of him, grabbing him by the hair and yanking him back up the wall. The rogue had him pinned and was pressing his beefy body against Trowa's lithe form. Fingers wrapped around his sore neck and tilt his head up so that he was at level with the Outlander leader's face.

"I want you in so much pain that you'll beg me to derez you." Trowa felt the harsh voice against his face and closed his eyes, uncomfortably aware of the growing hardness that was pressed firmly against his thigh. "And then I'll take you. Again and again until you can't feel your lower half." A calloused hand snuck down his side, gripping his hip hard enough to leave a bruise. "I'll let my men have you when I'm done."

Jalen brought his hand up to trace a rough finger along the smaller program's smooth cheek. "I don't like liars. Even if they are stunning..." His dirty finger moved to Trowa's lips and he forcefully shoved it into the hot mouth. He proceeded to move the digit in and out in a provocative motion, finger fucking that delicious mouth until teeth grazed his skin before biting down. Jalen pulled back in surprise, but then chuckled at the bold move. "Feisty." He backhanded Trowa, the sound of the slap vibrated off the walls.

Before Trowa knew what was happening next, he felt his body fly through the air as he was tossed onto a lumpy mattress. He landed face first into a pillow and was momentarily pleased that his involuntary groan was muffled. He began struggling against his restraints, furious that all he could do was lie there. He could do nothing to defend himself.

Jalen picked the discarded identity disc up off the table and flipped it on its side. He waited for the web of data and code to illuminate before fiddling with it. Trowa was turning himself over on the mattress when his light suit started to pixelate and disappear from his body, leaving him fully exposed.

"Can't run now, can ya, Runner?"

* * *

Heero had never been so beside himself with emotion in his existence. He couldn't feel his hands and feet. His vision kept shifting in and out of focus. His directive kept blaring across his thoughts. _I must find the Gate. I must destroy it,_ but there was a thin, variant thread that wove through those words. He knew he needed to get to the Gate and that Trowa was the program who could lead him there, but overall concern for the program flooded and overwhelmed that thought. And possession. A raw, powerful sense of possession. Had he unconsciously claimed Trowa as his own?

He fumbled with the small field generator in the corner of his cell, his dull and senseless fingertips clumsily manipulating it. His back burned with pain, and he felt a pinching sensation forming against the insides of his thighs.

 _No…_ He gritted his teeth and tried to focus on his task despite the distraction of what could only be described as phantom, projected pains. He groaned as his fingertips burned while he tried to deactivate the hot, powerful generators. He could hear a low and distant, grumbling laugh that seemed to coincide with the random blasts of pain that spread across his body. Finally Heero's frustrations got the best of him and he pulled his hand back, fist clenched and diverted all of his energy to his arm and struck the generator with a perfectly aimed punch.

The force field generator deactivated and interrupted the circuit, causing the power that coursed through his small cell to vanish. He jumped to his feet and stumbled as he ran as fast as he could across the barren encampment to the hut Jalen had vanished into.

Heero wasn't thinking. He couldn't focus. He should have found a weapon, or looked for where the Outlanders hid his disc, but he couldn't divert himself. He had to find the Runner. _I have to get to Trowa…_

He slid to a stop just inside the cluttered hut and immediately spotted Trowa's disc lying on a table on its side and glowing faintly blue. He heard a muffled cry and saw movement from the rear of the hut. It was Jalen, naked from the waist down, lying face-down. He couldn't see Trowa beneath the program's hulking frame. He didn't have to. He knew he was there.

Heero's entire body exploded with stored energy and his eyes began to burn. He felt something within him shift, as if a small packet of information had been decoded and unlocked. His eyes shifted from their deep blue hue to a radiant, luminous red. He felt strangely revived. He couldn't feel his body, but he could feel the river of fresh energy ebb and flow through his limbs, lending him newfound power.

He broke into a run, and within four wide bounding strides he was upon them. He jumped onto Jalen's back, straddled his torso, grabbed his head with both hands with shocking force twisted it off.

Jalen never saw Heero coming, and as his head came free from his shoulders the body he had been using to assault Trowa burst into a shower of black bits. It faded away into a mist of evaporating energy, leaving Heero crouched on his hands and knees over the battered body of his companion program. He stared down at Trowa, his own hands and shoulders still trembling from his sudden violent outburst. The Runner was lying flat on his back with his hands still bound behind him. His long, muscular legs had been untied and forced open. He was covered in black and blue pixelated surface flaws.

Heero felt a sharp pain rip at his chest as if his inner code was breaking. His expression fixed into a frown and hardened. He reached behind Trowa to carefully untied his wrists and pulled him by his arms to force him to sit up, and before he could stop himself from intruding upon the other program's battered body he wrapped his arms protectively around his shoulders and held him firmly against his chest.

Trowa was in a state of shock which had blocked out most of Jalen's abuse. He stared with blank eyes over Heero's shoulder, oblivious to what had just happened. At first everything was numb: no beat of his digital pulse, no electric currents of touch across his nerve endings, just the utter absence of any feeling. His body slumped forward like a broken toy, resting heavily against Heero's frame. Eyes closed as his face sought shelter on the curve of the other program's shoulder and neck as the shock started to dissipate. When the numbness subsided it left him to drown in an overwhelming pool of raw emotions. A comfortable silence filled the room.

A sudden jolt passed between their chests as a warm, tingling feeling spread across their bodies. Trowa's hands lethargically made their way up to Heero's shoulder blades, palms pressing firmly against the smooth light suit stretched across them. A startled sigh brushed past his lips and brought with it warm liquid that seeped from his eyelids and ran down his cheeks. Suddenly the taller program was holding tightly to the shorter one with desperate strength, afraid to let go.

Heero's shaking body finally calmed as a peculiar, comforting energy passed between their pressed figures. He didn't move nor did he speak. No words. He kept his arms firmly fixed around Trowa and squeezed him tightly against himself as the other program latched onto him. For a moment he felt sharp twinges of foreign emotions, as if the line that connected their bodies was permeable. It felt as if he could feel the other program's pain, anguish, and confusion. The sensation only motivated Heero to pull him closer, despite the fact that they couldn't physically BE any closer. He buried his own face into Trowa's soft auburn hair.

"We have to go," Heero finally murmured reluctantly. "If we leave now we can outrun them." They were busy with the User, it was a good time to escape.

"Where's Duo?" Trowa lifted his face off Heero's shoulder, unable to look the other in the eyes. Not because he was ungrateful for being saved, but because he was embarrassed by his weakness to defend himself against Jalen's attacks. He brought the back of his hand up to wipe the remaining liquid from his face, and carefully pulled his bruised and battered body away from the other program. "We have to get Duo…and your discs."

Trowa slipped off the dirty mattress and stumbled to the front of the room in search of his own disc. His coordination was off after all the blows he had received to his head, and he had to stop and steady himself against a random piece of furniture. Trowa kept his back turned turned to Heero, feeling ashamed, weak, and vulnerable. Three emotions he despised. _Have to get out of here… have to find Duo… Compose yourself._

When he had the energy to move again, Trowa made his way to the table and grabbed his disc. The code was still out, glowing in the air. He made quick work of selecting his light suit and covering his body.

Heero mentally sighed. Of course he'd want to find the User. At this point Heero could have cared less whether the User was with them or not. If it were up to him he would leave him there. The Outlanders would probably be less motivated to come after them if they had a guaranteed sale anyway.

He watched Trowa stumble for his disc. He was in no state to fight, and Heero wasn't either. At least not without his disc or a weapon. The effect of his temporary rectification unlock was beginning to fade out of him, and the red hue his eyes had shifted to was gradually dissipating. He blinked his eyes a few times and followed Trowa to the entrance of the hut.

"One of them grabbed your disc from what looked like a storage area," Heero explained, having recalled seeing the boyish-sounding cloaked figure run for a closed off tent nearby. He watched Trowa's body gradually blacken as his light suit crawled across his injured body. Without thinking he casually grabbed the Runner's cracked disc from his hand and gently placed it against his back for him.

"I'll get my disc," Heero replied confidently. "Three Outlanders are left. One seems like a fresh program, unable to follow his own order or directive. They may be confused without their leader. We should ambush them and strike quickly." He hovered close to him but didn't make contact. "You're in no condition for disc or sword battle. If you wait here I can get my disc and acquire one of their rifles for you. You should use that." He waited for Trowa's affirmation.

Trowa nodded weakly. "You are right…" His energy reserves were nearly drained, sucked from his body by the leader of the Outlanders, leaving him depleted like a battery reaching the end of its charge. "I'll wait here." He leaned against the wall, eyes downcast and hand cupping the bite wound on his neck. "Hurry." They needed to get the User before it was too late.

Heero gave Trowa an appraising once over and hesitated before he left. At Trowa's insistence to be quick he darted out of the hut and made his way to the tent that he had seen the small Outlander enter when he had retrieved Trowa's disc. Inside were sealed, grey crates with various types of markings. Heero recognized D-FILE's D-shaped logo immediately. He wondered if those items were stolen from his parent organization, or if they had been readily supplied to the Outlanders in payment for favors. The latter wouldn't be too terribly unusual.

He found a set of thin, orange cylinders with the battery symbol printed on the side of them. Booster drinks. He was starting to feel somewhat laggy from all of the action, and these energy boosts would be helpful for their escape. He grabbed four cans and tucked them under his arm while he continued looking for the discs. Finally he found them resting atop a crate at the far end. He snatched his and fixed it to his back, and tucked Duo's under his arm with the booster drinks. The familiar faint hum of the disc sync connection filled his ears momentarily as all of his recent action and memory transferred to the disc storage.

He found a spare disruption gun leaning against the wall by the door, but then noticed a few feet away a larger cartridge-fed laser rifle was nearby with a few spare cartridges littering the floor beneath it. The laser rifle was much more powerful, and capable of derez as opposed to its stunning counterpart. He slung the rifle by the strap over his shoulder, tucked the cartridges under his arm and crept back to the main hut. When he entered he saw Trowa struggling to stand against the support beam. He set the items on the table, opened an energy drink and handed it to him.

Trowa took the can and began chugging the sticky liquid down, hoping to alleviate his lag. He glanced over at the table while he finished the energy drink off and bent down to pick up the laser rifle. "Nice…" Trowa set the empty can aside and started to load the cartridges.

Heero drank two of the drinks, chugging them down his throat as quickly as he could. He could feel the slight harsh sting of energy as it systematically activated his body, forcing extra energy through his slowing system. He picked up Duo's old disc and turned it slowly in his hands. He had never seen one of these up close before. He let his finger trace along the dull, deactivated blue spiral along it's outer curve before speaking.

"They said something about scanning him. If they're going to sell him, I don't think they'll try to hurt him," it was an obvious statement, but he didn't know what else to say. He knew his directive didn't require that he act on anything that concerned the Runner, but after holding him and feeling his pain firsthand he couldn't help but feel concern for him. "Are you alright?"

Trowa slung the gun strap over his shoulder and reached for the last can of energy drink. "I'm fine," he said sharply, popping the tab and chugging as fast as he could.

His body was battered and his mind was addled, but he was fine. Being in such a vulnerable position, something he hadn't experienced before, had overwhelmed him, and then the sudden flood of emotions he felt when Heero held him had pushed Trowa's system overboard. Overstimulation of the senses, he told himself.

His attraction to the other program was starting to become a distraction. Trowa blamed himself for being in this situation in the first place. Had he not been distracted by Heero's advances, he would have seen the cloaked figures sneaking up on them.

"We should find Duo."

"Okay," Heero replied, his voice soft. He grabbed his disc from between his shoulder blades and clutched Duo's white and blue one tightly in hand. With a twist of his wrist it activated with a faint hum, along with his own black and blue disc that pulsed and flickered in his hands. He slipped out of the hut. He saw Trowa padding close behind him with the rifle in both hands at the ready. He led the taller program through the camp in the direction that the Outlanders dragged the User.

* * *

They walked through the darkness for a few minutes before he heard the familiar voice of their braided companion speaking angrily from somewhere up ahead.

 _"First of all, you limpdick pricksores have no idea what you're fuckin' doin'. What kind of negotiations are these? I don't know the currency exchange rate to American dollars, but four million eight hundred creds doesn't sound NEARLY enough!"_

Heero's eyes widened and he glanced over his shoulder at Trowa in confusion. Was the User _really_ trying to help them sell him off?

Heero gestured for Trowa to go left with his left hand before he crept off to the right, dropping into a lowered stance as he walked.

Duo had been propped up on a rock. They had scanned him with a flashlight-looking wide angle laser and were on some tablet-sized device talking to someone from Tron Security. These buffoons were stupid, as far as Duo was concerned they were the worst hostage-takers he had ever seen.

Duo's voice sounded like it was coming from the tent up ahead on the left. Trowa lowered his stance to match Heero's and made his way through the camp, ducking into the shadows whenever an Outlander passed by. He crept up to the tent and stopped just outside the back wall, listening to the conversation going on inside. The User was goading his captors. _Go figure…_

 _"Are you fucking kidding me, you butthole-hair-follicles?! Come on..."_

Heero tried to ignore the irate ranting of the User from within the tent as he crept around the opposite side. He could see a five-foot tall tripod standing just behind it in the darkness, it's long telescopic chrome legs gleaming in the darkness. He recognized it immediately as a core antenna, a long probe that could be drilled down deep into the grid matter of the ground to access the Nexus Stream (check for ver. Of name). When used it allowed programs outside of city communications range to make long-distance connections. He crept closer to it, inspected the long copper-colored cylinder in the center of the tripod and decided that his first order of business would be to cut them off from whoever they were talking to. He pressed the blade of his own disc firmly into the cylinder and watched as it sliced easily through it to sever the antenna.

 _"Hahaha! Now you can't even make a goddamn phone call correctly? I'm surprised you guys even know how to wipe your own asses. Oh wait, you don't take shits. I forgot…"_  
 _  
_"Shut up, will you, you obnoxious block of code!"

 _"What're ya gonna do? Hit me? Bruise up my girly little face, huh? Go ahead, I'm sure those twats you were talkin' to would be real happy to see you dented the goods!"_

 _"Go check the Nexus connection,"_ a voice said from inside the tent. Heero backed away from the antenna and hid behind a low, raised plateau of black rock. He crouched low to the ground and waited until the smallest of the Outlanders inched his way through the darkness with a headlamp illuminating the patch of ground in front of him. He stopped in front of the antenna and studied the cut closely. Heero slipped around from behind him and before the young program realized he was there he slammed his disc into the center of his back. The Outlander's disc shattered as Heero's connected with it, and then his entire body quaked and burst into a swarm of tiny black and blue blocks as he was derezzed by the blow.

 _"Alec?! Alec, what is going on out there? Do we need to reset the connection?"_ the nasally voice from earlier asked loudly from inside the tent.

When there was no response, he irritably opened the flap of the tent and went out into the darkness. "Alec, what the hell? Can't rely on you to do nothin'." The Outlander made his way around the left side of the tent and was immediately stopped in his tracks by the blunt end of a gun to his head.

Trowa knocked him to the ground and raised the gun a second time, bringing it down with enough force to derez the unsuspecting Outlander. The energy drinks had helped raise his stamina, but he was still relatively weak and stumbled back as he regained his composure. Now there was just one program left in the tent with Duo. This seemed too easy…

Heero heard the familiar, mute rushing sound of a derez from the opposite side of the tent. He slid around the back until he spotted the lean, tall outline of the Runner in the darkness. He approached him stealthily from behind and once he was ten feet away he began to take slightly heavier steps to get his attention. The corner of his mouth perked as Trowa spun around and aimed the rifle at his face. Soon the other program's widened green eyes reflected with recognition and the rifle's business end was lowered. Heero slipped carefully up to Trowa with both his and Duo's discs still in hand. They needed to communicate the rest of their plan before they could act. He closed the distance between them so that they were standing toe to toe and he leaned in as close as he could, his voice low and hushed.

"I think there is only one left," he whispered. "Let me take care of him, you grab the User," he added, his lips accidentally brushing against Trowa's ear.

Trowa felt the soft lips against his ear and involuntarily shivered. He tilt his head so that he was facing the other, their lips dangerously close. Through the faint glow of the night sky he could see Heero's handsome facial features, and his lips twitched in anticipation.

They stood close, holding each other's gaze while their bodies longed to connect, neither program moving to close the last bit of air between them. _Distraction… liability…_ Trowa quickly pulled away to a safe distance. "Understood."

 _"Heh, seems like your friends abandoned you, pal."_

 _"Silence, User!"_

 _"Maybe they're out back givin' each other handy-Js? You're missin' out, bud!"_

 _"I said be quiet!"_

"Ooh, did I hurt your feelins?" Duo's voice was dripping with satisfaction as he watched the Outlander guard pace the tent with his fancy disruptor rifle in hand. He shifted his weight on the rock and tried to roll the tension out of his shoulders. He always thought handcuffs had the potential to be pretty kinky, but now he was beginning to have his doubts about whether he would ever willingly let anyone tie him up again. "Hey, cumdumpster! You hear me? Your friends hate you…"

The program spun on his heels and pointed the rifle in Duo's smiling face. "User, I'm warning you…"

Duo saw movement from behind the Outlander. To his surprise he could see a familiar mop of messy brown hair duck through the tent flap and into the small space. His smile broadened once he realized who it was.

"Warnin' me about what, huh? That you're a piece of fucking shit guard? That you're a donkydicked pinhead with the mental capacity of an amoeba?" Duo was thoroughly enjoying himself now.

"Time for you to have a little taste of disruption you cocky, useless User-" the guard's finger began to apply pressure to the trigger but, unfortunately, he never got to finish the motion. The guard exploded into a blast of black pixels. As they fell away Duo spotted Heero's scowling face as it appeared from the opposite side. Behind the glitchy program Duo spotted Trowa as he ducked into the tent with a sweet-looking rifle in hand.

"Boys. It's about time," Duo said calmly, as a shit-eating-grin spread across his face.

Trowa narrowed his eyes. "Sorry. We were a little tied up." He lowered the gun and quickly moved next to Duo's side to untie his restraints. "We need to get out of here. Now." The red bands around the User's wrists fell to the ground, and Trowa bent down to work at the ones around his ankles.

Heero fell back to peek out through the tent flap for any passing Outlander rogues. He could see movement a good distance away, but otherwise the area they currently occupied was abandoned. He glanced over his shoulder at his companions to see if they were ready to go and found his gaze drawn to the particularly fine curve of the Runner's ass. He stared for a fraction of a second before blinking furiously and forcing himself to look away.

Duo rubbed his wrists and nodded gratefully at Trowa. "Thanks, man," he muttered. He hopped off of the rock and walked up to Heero to playfully snatch his disc out of the other program's hand. "Alright, now what?"

"We try to get out of here undetected," Heero said quietly. "Which means you need to keep your big mouth closed."

Duo gawked and looked over at Trowa with widened eyes. "You hearin' this bullshit?"

"He's right. Be quiet." Trowa slung the gun strap over his shoulder and walked over to the tent flap, standing next to Heero. He looked out and noticed at it was clear. "Let's move."


	6. Chapter 6

Heero led the Runner and the User outside and through the maze of tents and huts. They walked blindly through the darkness in a randomly picked direction until the camp was nothing more than a dim speck on the horizon. Heero was exhausted but he pushed himself on until he couldn't walk any more. The User was staggering along behind him trying to keep up and Trowa looked like he was struggling as well. He decided that they had trekked far enough. After a quick survey of the area he found a jagged outcropping of white-gridded, obsidian rocks. Once they came to its base he took a seat on the cool, smooth ground and watched as the User staggered and collapsed against the ground across from him.

"You guys have those fuckin' cool ass bikes and yet nobody around here uses 'em…" Duo grumbled to himself as he attempted to rub his feet through his boots.

Trowa sat down next to Heero and slumped forward, his energy reserves completely drained. He ran his hands over his sore thighs and down his legs, massaging the muscles through the skintight light suit. It had been a long day…

Heero couldn't help but follow the path Trowa's hands were trailing across his legs with his eyes. The other program looked exhausted, and despite having seen the damage that the Outlander leader had inflicted upon him firsthand, he wondered just how extensive his injuries had been.

Duo stretched his arms over his head and flopped back against the cold, glossy rock and yawned. He wiggled his feet and arms for a moment and found himself staring up at the faintly violet glowing sky above. He missed home. He missed the warm sand against his back and the low, rushing white noise of the surf against the beach. He wanted to feel the sun warm his skin, and he would do anything for a coconut full of pineapple rum about now. As he stared up at the starless sky he spotted a faint, yellow speck of light hovering overhead. As he focused on it it seemed to follow his eyes and gradually what appeared to be a distant star descended upon him. It landed on the tip of his nose.

"Uh… uhhhhh…. Guys…." Duo stammered. He crossed his eyes in an attempt to get a better look at the bob of light - no bigger than half an inch wide - as it pulsed and glowed against his nose. "What the hell is this thing?"

As if his question was a summon the sky directly above them flickered to life with a milky-way swirl of glistening yellow specks. They flitted and floated above them for a few seconds before gradually descending to the black ground, blinking and pulsing as they swarmed and shifted around like a school of ethereal fish.

Heero had never seen anything like it.

"Globits. They're harmless." Trowa straightened his back and looked up at the bugs that glittered in the sky. He'd seen them plenty of times before, but not in this huge of a swarm. Elios loved these things.

Trowa held a hand out and patiently waited for one of the globits to land on his fingertips. It crawled up the length of his palm and sat there, its yellow light blinking to a slow pulse. The creature seemed at ease on the program's hand, not threatened by the least bit. It surveyed the surroundings calmly, allowing Trowa to bring his other hand up, index finger moving ever so gently to rub the top of the bug's fluffy head.

Duo watched as the globit on his nose took to air and fluttered casually back up into the sky. He pushed himself up to a sit and watched as the swarm ebbed and flowed around them, shifting merrily with a faint, melodic buzzing sound. Duo smiled. It was the first seemingly natural form of light he had seen since he arrived on The Grid. Something that was alive - or at least appeared that way. He hopped to his feet and despite the ache in his toes he meandered out into the center of the swarm. As he neared the middle of the mass the radiant creatures landed on his shoulders and began to cling to his braid, dotting him with assorted constellation-like patterns. He began to laugh and spin around in a circle with his arms raised to his sides. The globits followed his lead and began to swirl in time with his movements, creating a loose tornado of flashing lights around him.

Heero pulled his legs up and crossed them as he sat on the hard, cold rock and watched as the User communed with the happily blinking creatures before he turned his attention to the little fluffy insect on Trowa's finger.

How did these things even come to exist? Heero couldn't understand why they were there. What was their function? Their purpose? Had they been randomly generated like the ISOs had? If so, then why didn't Clu want to remove them as well? Why, as a member of D-FILE, had he never heard of these things before? His directive was to destroy the Gate. He had to remove the flaw in the system, so weren't these flaws, too?

His eyes narrowed on the bug as his mind began to process these new revelations.

The globit could feel the stern gaze on its back. It waited until Trowa was done petting it before stretching it's wings and flying away to join the swarm. "They're… fascinating. And you only see them out here. They won't go into the city." Trowa sighed as his new friend left them. He looked out at the User and couldn't stop the smile that spread across his lips as he watched Duo flail around happily.

"They lift everyone's mood…" For a brief moment the exhausting details from the day disappeared along with all the aches and pains, leaving Trowa to sit in peaceful silence.

When the globit left Trowa's finger Heero was left with nothing to look at but the other program himself. As Trowa smiled and spoke about the pulsating, glowing little creatures he became automatically transfixed by the shifting expressions on the normally serious-looking Runner. And then Trowa smiled, and Heero found himself stunned by the rare treat that was such a peaceful, happy expression. It felt as it a needle had been forced deep into the center of his chest. What magnetism that had been between them before reactivated and Heero couldn't stop himself from drawing closer to him.

Trowa was right. His mood was lifting. He pushed all of his precious thoughts about directives and function aside. Heero decided that his directive was the Gate and the Gatekeeper, not the Runner. Trowa wasn't his enemy. How could he be? He had taken care of him and comforted him when he had needed it most. He didn't know what this strange connection with the Runner was, and he didn't care anymore. He concluded that his entire existence had been his directive, and now that he had finally come to know another program and a User he yearned for something other than a business connection with someone. Even in this desolate place, and even after all of the shitty things that had happened to them that day, he was still glad that he wasn't alone and he would do it all over again if it meant that he could see that smile illuminate the way it just did. Just one more time.

Unrestrained, Heero reached out a hand and caressed the discolor of the surface flaw along his jawline.

The gentle touch coaxed Trowa out of his thoughts. He pulled his eyes away from the sparkling sky and turned to look at the program sitting next to him. Heero's finger lingered on his face, hesitant at first before it moved across his jawline and to his cheek, taking in every detail as it explored.

Trowa sat transfixed, green eyes searching dark blue ones, seeking answers to all the questions that swam around in his head. Why did his body come to life whenever the other program was near? Did he really need to know? Did it even matter at this point? Heero's finger slid to his lips, tracing the bottom one first and then the top until they parted slightly. The digital pulse raced in Trowa's body at an uncontrollable speed, despite his fatigue.

He may not have all the answers to the questions that surrounded their unusual relationship, but he knew one thing for certain. He was done denying Heero.

Heero expected Trowa to turn away from him like he had so many times before and refuse to look at him, so when the other program's mouth slackened under his touch and their eyes met he was taken aback. Finally he had a chance to explore Trowa's face and really take in the fine details of his features without having to resort to stolen glances or awkward exchanges. He tore his eyes away from the other program to check the User, who was still swirling and spinning around happily with the tidal wave of shining bugs. When he returned his gaze back to Trowa's he saw something he hadn't seen in them before. Acceptance.

Had Trowa accepted what Heero had? That their draw together was inevitable? Heero was drawn deep into the other program's cat-like stare, unable to pull away from it again. His thumb glided to the corner of Trowa's mouth, tracing the edge of his lower lip once more. What would those parted lips feel like against his own? He decided to find out.

He leaned in closer and claimed them.

Warm lips pressed against his own causing Trowa's eyelids to flutter shut. Their noses bumped together at first until Trowa tilt his head to the left, balancing their facial features so that their lips melded perfectly together. Heero's full bottom lip cupped his, and he felt the tip of a tongue curiously graze across it as it asked for entrance. Trowa opened his mouth in acceptance so Heero's tongue could slide in.

Heero's fingers parted as his hand cupped the side of Trowa's face, splaying across the fine angles of the other program's cheekbone and handsomely curved jaw. As Trowa's eyes closed against the kiss Heero attempted to do the same, but found the image of the softly lidded eyes in front of him too alluring. The pensive slope of Trowa's sleekly formed eyebrows vanished as his face fully relaxed and opened up to him under the kiss. His reaction was satisfying, and Heero finally let his own eyes close so that he could appreciate the other small details of the other program. The feel of his gradually parting lips against his own, the smoothness of Trowa's lower lip as his tongue passed over it and into his mouth, and the momentary sharp edge of the other program's lower teeth as he probed deeper inside him. He finally met Trowa's tongue in the sweet-tasting, tantalizingly warm cavern of his mouth. The moment his tongue lapped across the other his shoulders and jaw began to tingle as if the circuitry of their bodies had finally connected and their energy could pass around full circle.

Trowa jerked forward at the sensation, pressing harder against Heero's mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance and a low moan coiled in his throat when he finally submitted to his partner. Reaching up blindly, his hand bumped against Heero's shoulder before coming to rest on the base of his warm neck. Trowa pulled his tongue away so he could take Heero's lower lip between his teeth and tug gently, his actions suddenly needy, his mind fogged with lust.

Heero reflexively gasped as Trowa nipped and tugged his lip. He felt the vibration of Trowa's moan as it passed into his mouth and the sensation caused his eyes to snap open in surprise. The other program's cool, slender fingers delved deeply into the hair at the base of his neck and forced a groan of pleasure from Heero. The sudden escalation was welcomed. He remembered the last time Trowa had slid his fingers through his hair the action had been accompanied by a tug. He wondered about Trowa's last hot, formed hardness and could vividly remember the taller pilot rubbing it firmly against his thigh.

Heero had no sexual experience to speak of. Having only completed his compilation a month before and with being so focused on his function and directive, he hadn't had time to explore such things. However, every since the emergence of the Runner all he wanted to do was touch and be touched. Even without experience he could tell what Trowa wanted, what he yearned for.

As their kiss grew more in fervor his mind began to pop and explode with images and potential scenarios. He saw himself naked, hands filled with Trowa's hips, fucking him from behind while he moaned and twisted on his hands and knees. Heero could almost feel his flesh yield beneath his hands as he guided him backwards with each inward thrust.

He groaned again against Trowa's mouth as his mind swam with graphic imaginings, all of which included him joining together in one way or another with the Runner. He wanted him. He wanted to feel his body pinned beneath his own, twitching and tense with pleasure. He wanted to make that daydream a reality.

With one hand still lightly pressed against Trowa's cheek he let his free hand roam down the center of the other program's tightly muscled body, appreciating the firm and tense muscles beneath the pliable clingy fabric of the black light suit. His palm slipped across his abdomen, fingers curling and tracing the raised curves and lines of his stomach, his waist, his hips and then finally molded and cupped against the center of Trowa's desire.

Hips rocked instinctively forward to meet Heero's touch. Trowa was getting caught up in the moment and his body was screaming to go further, drowning out his mind. His lips trembled against the other program's as he fought desperately to keep control. He was rapidly losing the battle.

"Heero…" The lusty, deep moan sounded almost like a plea as Trowa rocked his hips forward again, emphasizing his longing. He was practically begging the other to take him. _I want him so badly... What has gotten into me?_

Trowa moaning his name was like a finger firmly squeezing a trigger. It forced a shot of liquid heat through his core and stimulated every cell in his body. He couldn't recall a time before now that he had heard his name spoken by the other program, let alone uttered in such a lusty, sexy voice. The entire world around them seemed to melt away until there was nothing left but their two bodies pulling closer together. Heero's hands snapped up to grab Trowa's shoulders and without hesitation he started to push the other program backward when a voice spoke up cheerfully from behind them.

"Heh, check these things out! Look! Guys?" Duo was approaching the cave with his arms outstretched on either side of his body. Softly buzzing, yellow globits were strewn across his raised arms and shoulders like christmas lights. "I think they like me!"

Heero's eyes widened and he immediately snapped out of it and pulled away from Trowa and returned to the seated position he had been in before. He rubbed the side of his neck and cleared his throat in an attempt to ward off the heavy cloak of awkwardness that had settled over his shoulders.

"D'ya think I can keep one of these as a pet?" Duo asked with a grin as he drew nearer. "You think it could live back in my world?"

"No." Trowa said sharply, straightening up and stretching his legs out in front of him. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea…to take one back with you." He clarified awkwardly as he rubbed his knee, hand trembling slightly.

One of the globits flew off Duo' shoulder and made it's way over to Trowa, curiously landing on his arm. Trowa brought his finger up to pet it, wondering if it was the same creature from before.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Duo said with a frown as he studied his new little friends. "Sorry guys. Looks like you're gonna have to stay here in bleak and darkland." As he shrugged his shoulders the little bugs took to flight and vanished into the sky.

Duo slapped his hands together and meandered over to take a seat beside Heero. He rubbed the back of his head and yawned. "So maybe this place isn't ENTIRELY fucking terrible," he said more to himself than to anyone else. He stretched his arms over his head and flopped onto his back. As he did he immediately regretted it as his disc jammed hard into his upper back. He rolled over onto his side and grumbled about the 'stupid disc' before adding loudly, "if ya'll are gonna fuck, try not to wake me up, okay?"

Heero's jaw dropped and his face erupted with embarrassed heat. He reflexively crossed his arms over his chest and with a frown stood up and started to walk away. "I'll take first watch," he said flatly as he strode through the gently floating swarm of globits to a pile of rocks nearby. As he passed through the fluffy, bright glowing balls they began to attach themselves to his shoulders and hair like little stubborn pieces of lint, and by the time he had climbed up onto the rock and taken a seat his shoulders and arms were thickly speckled with them. He didn't bother to swat them away and simply fell into a sulk with his back having the outcrop, his dark prussian eyes fixated on the distant, dimly violet horizon in the direction they had come from the camp.

Trowa watched the shorter program walk away before turning to Duo with a glare.

"Did you really need to say that?" Was it that obvious there was something going on between them?

Duo smirked and chuckled before replying, "I didn't mean anything mean by it. I was just sayin' I am okay with it. Don't get your power cord in a twist," he said as he shifted his weight around. "Sorry. How are you doin' anyway? … that guy didn't hurt you too bad, did he?"

"I'm okay. Heero came in and… rescued me just in time." Trowa looked out into the distance, his gaze searching through the dark for the other program. He brought his still slightly trembling hands to his lap and let them rest there, exhaustion finally taking hold of his system.

"Is it that obvious?" Trowa asked softly. "That there's something between us? I don't know what it is. Its…. Not something I've experienced before."

Duo sighed, rolled over onto his back and pushed himself up onto his elbows. His grin answered Trowa's question, but he elaborated with a, "yeah, it's fuckin' obvious. You guys have been pinin' for one another since we left Tron City. Dude was checkin' you out the whole walk out of Arjia, too. So what if you think he's hot? I mean… I'd hit it."

He chuckled at the expression from Trowa that the comment won him. He shook his head and shrugged a shoulder playfully. "He's a little too serious, though, and if he calls me "USER" one more time I'm going to punch him in the throat."

Duo crossed his legs at the ankle and sighed as he followed Trowa's gaze out to the globit-covered program moping on the rocks.

"I dunno. You guys seem to get along pretty good. Something weird, though, you guys were both guards, right? You fight alike, and you have the same markings. I mean, given all that stuff, you guys have a lot in common, huh?"

"It seems that we do. I just don't know why I haven't seen him before… He was checking me out?" Trowa wasn't certain what that meant. He gave Duo a questioning look, tilting his head slightly so he could peak both of his green eyes out from under his bangs.

Duo laughed. "Yeah, you know… eyein' your goods? Scannin' your backdoor..." He scrunched his nose and waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Trowa. "I mean, I was too, you've got it goin' on back there, lemme tell ya. This place has its problems, but you programs saunterin' around in these tight little suits is definitely not one of them."

Trowa blinked before a rare and rather loud laugh erupted from his mouth. In his extremely exhausted state Duo's comments sounded absurd. "I guess…" He propped his elbow on his thigh and dropped his face down into his hand, smiling against it. His shoulders rose and fell as the last few chuckles racked his body.

"I'm glad there's at least one thing you enjoy about the Grid." Trowa ran the hand through his messy hair, brushing his bangs away from his face momentarily. He looked up at the sky and noticed the globit swarm was slowly drifting further out.

Duo smiled brightly at Trowa's laugh. It was nice to see the guy acting normal for once.

"Yeah, well, the light cycles WOULD be at the top of my list, except you guys are being turdnurglers and keep makin' me walk everywhere… oi, my legs are like lead…" Duo said as he thumped his heels against the ground. He yawned loudly again and flopped back down to lie on his side. "I'm beat. I would take a watch shift, but I'll be honest with you, I get bored easily and I'd probably fall asleep…" he closed his eyes and yawned again. "How much further did you say it was?"

"We'll reach the hideout in a few days…" Trowa lay on his side and glanced across the space to look at the User. "You've seen the terrain out here. A light cycle wouldn't last long." He tucked his elbow under his head and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, but I can't help but feel disappointed, ya know? Been… " he yawned again and curled his legs up against his torso, "been wanting to ride one of those since I read about 'em. Hey, you think I'll be able to ride one before we leave here? Just once?" Duo sighed and closed his own eyes, feeling completely drained.

"I'll lend you mine as soon as we find flat terrain." Trowa promised, figuring the User deserved to have a little fun. Maybe tomorrow. If Duo replied to his comment, Trowa didn't know. His system shut down and he was out for the next few hours.

* * *

There was nothing much to look at when it came to The Grid. The Outlands were especially bleak and barren compared to the glowing towers and spires of the Tron System's central cities. Heero had watched the swarm of globits vanish into the black beyond and soon found himself studying what little variants in the craggy, rocky terrain in front of him.

He was tired. The effects of the energy drinks long since gone, he now found himself trying to force his tired eyes to focus with heavy, hard blinks and as his mind began to zone out he started thinking about the passionate kiss with Trowa. His fingers automatically ghosted over his own lips at the thought. He could still feel the residual tingle that the exchange had left there.

It was obvious that something was happening to him, and the closer he was to the other program - the more they touched - the more peculiar and unusual he began to feel. He felt… alive. He didn't even know what that word meant, necessarily. Users lived. Programs existed. However, whenever he was around Trowa he felt empowered. He felt unique, and vibrant and energized. Before, he had felt like his existence was monotonous, repetitive and pointless. He wasn't comfortable with who he was and what his function was, mostly because of his concerns about what would happen after he completed his directive.

 _Once I destroy the Gate… what happens to me?_ He was created for a specific purpose, and for that purpose alone. The thought had risen before, but he hadn't really considered it until now. His recent reflections on the ISO Radia and her teachings brought with them a change of heart in Heero, but a change he couldn't fully embrace or accept.

"I need to stop fucking around," he mumbled to himself as he rand his hand through his hair irritably. "I need to do my job."

He spent the next few hours turning ideas over in his head, working them out and analyzing them. At the end of the process he still had no answers for the most pressing of his questions. What do I want for myself? Could I live a life that satisfies those wants? Will they derez me when I am done performing this directive? Who is Trowa, and why does he make me feel this way?

Finally he could no longer bring himself to stare out at the vast nothingness of the Outlands. He pushed himself up to a stand and slowly made his way back to their makeshift camp. He saw Duo curled up on the ground, his braid held loosely in his fingers like a child clutching a toy for comfort. Trowa was lying across him him, facing his direction, sleeping on his side. He approached the Runner slowly, his eyes scanning his tightly muscled frame as he lie on the ground, marveling at how relaxed his normally tensed posture looked at rest. He paused to take in the image for a moment before inching closer. He didn't know how he should wake him up, and after their rather intense kiss he was almost scared to touch him, afraid he would spiral out of control again. Resisting the urge, he spoke quietly but firmly.

"Trowa."

"Is it my watch?" Trowa's eyes opened immediately, like a robot that never slept. His vision focused on the program hovering over him, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Heero looked like he was on the verge of passing out. "You need rest."

"We … need to talk," Heero said wearily. It was as good of a time as any, and with the User asleep they could have some privacy. Despite his low-powered state he had a lot he wanted to get off of his mind.

Trowa's eyes narrowed and he nodded, standing up. He followed Heero off to the rocky ledge on the right side of their makeshift camp. Trowa leaned against the cool wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you want to talk about?"

Heero leaned against the wall beside him and stared out at the open, dull landscape he had been studying for hours before. "You and I both know we need to come to an… arrangement."

He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, blinking wearily. His voice was soft, and lacked its usual conviction. "I… feel like I need you."

"Need me?" Trowa wasn't sure how he felt about that. No one truly needed him, except Elios and those who sought the Runner. Right now Heero needed him to get back to Aether. "What type of arrangement do you seek?" He kept his gaze out on the dark horizon while he contemplated the other's words. What would happen after he delivered the other to the Aether guards? Would Heero stick around the hideout with the rest of them? That meant Trowa would continue seeing him.

"I-I don't know," Heero replied honestly, his voice glitching slightly. His head began to feel heavy, His chin slowly started to tilt down, his slightly closing eyes staring at a distant point at the ground. "All I know is that I've never felt this way about any program before, and that when I am near you I feel complete."

That confession startled Trowa and he looked over at Heero. _This certainly complicates things._ He was unsure of what exactly the other program wanted from him. Or where this conversation was going. "…What happened back there today, in Jalen's tent? Your eyes were red. You ripped his head off…"

Heero's eyes slid closed and he nodded his head weakly. "I don't know," he lied. "I … he deserved w-w-worse than what I d-d-did to him…" that was the truth.

Heero was powering down fast. His eyes snapped open and he forced his gaze to narrow back at the ground. "I could feel it. Everything… h-he did to you. Like an echo, every s-s-trike…"

In a way, Trowa felt violated by Heero's revelation. That meant the other knew everything Jalen had done to him. _How is that even possible?_ "I don't understand." He shook his head and averted his gaze, eyes downcast in confusion.

"I don't either…" Heero sighed and ran a hand through his hair again, raking his fingers along his scalp to try and wake his system up. "I just did. I'm sorry… if I could stop this, I…"

Would he? He frowned and shook his head, stopping himself from finishing the sentiment. He didn't know what he was saying. As strange as this bond was with the stranger - the Runner - Heero was almost glad to have something actually happening to him for once. He felt like he was evolving into something else, improving, becoming more than he was before.

"W-when you feel pain, I f-feel it. When y-you're confused, I feel it too," he admitted quietly. "I woke up next to you f-f-feeling more aware and cognizant than I have e-e-ever felt my entire existence. I don't know w-what this means, Trowa… but I d-don't want it to stop."

"You need rest." Was Heero saying all this because he was at the brink of exhaustion? Or did he really mean it? Trowa wasn't sure he wanted this connection – whatever it was- to stop, either. He needed to talk to Elios. Maybe the other could help explain or define what was going on between the two programs.

"I… What arrangement do you want from me, Heero?" He had to ask, had to know what the other wanted.

Despite everything that logically told him not to, Heero had decided to act on his impulses.

"I want to... explore this w-with you," Heero said without looking up. "I don't w-w-want this to be awkward anymore. I want you to consent to … to me … " He was trying to find the right words to express himself, but for once he couldn't seem to figure out what to say. "Let m-me be close to you."

Ever since he could remember Trowa had carried around a residual sadness and sense of longing. No matter what Elios did to try and cheer him up, it always loomed, hanging over him like a grey cloud. He could never pinpoint the cause of these feelings, couldn't remember anything in his past that may have triggered it. All he knew was that he felt incomplete, and he longed for something he did not know. Trowa had come to believe he was just programmed that way, until Heero showed up. Whenever the other program was close, the residual feelings dissipated.

Because of this, Trowa knew he wanted to explore the connection with Heero further. He couldn't lie to himself anymore, couldn't keep pushing the other away because he didn't understand what was happening to them.

"Alright." Trowa consented softly.

As Trowa agreed Heero felt the tension that had been building up between them since they had first met began to evaporate and lift away. His shoulders rose as he was filled with a peculiar lightness he had never felt before.

"Thank you…" he murmured. He dropped his arms and pushed his body away from the wall and finally turned to face him. His tired eyes lifted from the ground to meet Trowa's, his deep blue glossy orbs appearing heavy lidded but thoughtful. He paused, unsure of what he should do. He decided not to think anymore, not about this. Now that he had Trowa's permission he was free to act on his emotions and do whatever he felt was right at the time, and right now he wanted to be close. He needed comfort, touch, warmth, and to feel like he was no longer alone. The feeling he had now didn't match the wonton, aggressive sensation he had earlier when they had kissed. This felt fragile, vulnerable and new.

He slid in front of the taller program, wrapped his arms around his waist and leaned his tired weight against him, turned his head and rested his cheek against his shoulder. As he hugged Trowa their chests pressed together and he felt the now familiar pulsating of energy transfer between them. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the feeling, following the energy as it came from Trowa's body and trickled gradually across his chest and down his torso, filling the depleted stores within him with the golden warmth that he craved.

Trowa closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the shorter figure, burying his face in the soft brown hair at the top of Heero's head. After a few minutes he felt Heero's body slump forward as he went into hibernation mode. Trowa was content to stand there and support his partner, holding him firmly against his lithe body, their chests still connected so energy could flow out of his system and feed into Heero's. The warm tingling sensation caused him to sigh and he fought the urge to join the other in hibernation.

Their surroundings were quiet as the early hours of morning set in. Trowa lifted his head and looked out at the still horizon, the only sound disrupting the silence was the User's strange breathing while he slept a few feet away. He let his eyelids droop while his mind drifted.


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as all three were rested they had set out again across the craggy wastes of the Outlands.

Duo had slept like the dead, and when he woke up he had found himself on the ground alone. When he got up he spotted Trowa on guard with Heero slumped against him limply in his arms. He didn't know what was going on with those two, but it was nice to see them together like that. Maybe now that they finally seemed to work out whatever was happening to them the rest of their journey wouldn't be so awkward?

He glanced over his shoulder at Heero as he strode silently behind him, his dark eyes scanning their surroundings for any signs of danger. He turned and studied the back of the Runner, who was doing the same, and began to wonder how it felt to be a program. Did they have the same emotions as he did? If so, were they affected as deeply by them? What about their coding caused them to have personalities at all? Kevin Flynn had written about The Grid as mirroring the outside world. By design the programs were supposed to emulate the human population. They had built-in artificial intelligence, but were they sentient?

Despite how shitty this world had treated him since his arrival, Duo was still fascinated by it. It had been his dream to come here and to interact with these constructs, but no sooner than he had arrived he was being forced out by aggressive, faceless foes.

He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck as he strolled along between them. "Yo, Heero, what's your favorite color?"

Heero's eyes snapped from an inky black cliffside he had been studying to eye the back of the User with surprise. "Color?" he echoed his words, confused.

"Yeah, you know, colors? Hex codes? Like… octothorpe FF0000? Or do you guys use RGB, so like 255,0,0?" Duo thumbed through his brain's technical knowledge.

Heero frowned. "You could just say red," he said coldly. Why did the User feel the need to overcomplicate such a basic concept? "My favorite color is blue."

Trowa looked at Heero curiously. "I would have guessed that." He wasn't really sure if he had a favorite color. Maybe purple.

Heero raised an eyebrow at Trowa, wondering how he would have known, and then turned back to Duo, trying to be friendly and conversational with the User. "What about you?"

Duo shrugged a shoulder and gestured to the vast wasteland that surrounded them. "I used to like black, but now I'm startin' to really fuckin' hate it," he said with an unhappy sigh. "So I'm gonna say green. Like palm tree green," he added wistfully.

Heero didn't know what a 'palm tree' was, but he could imagine it was something bright and considerably opposite to the world they lived in. It was obvious that the User wasn't enjoying himself.

The remainder of their hike through the cragged, uneven colorless terrain was rather uneventful. Duo stubbed his toe more than once, and managed a slew of profanities Heero had never heard before. Finally they spotted an encampment up ahead. It was a trio of yurt-style structures situated in a triangular pattern. The rounded tents were constructed with uniform, navy blue material that seemed to reflect what little light was glowing from the nebulous sky overhead.

Duo was grateful to see somewhere he could sit up ahead and soon quickened his pace, falling into stride beside Trowa, who seemed eager to finally be done with their trek as well.

* * *

Chang Wufei spotted three figures breaking the horizon. His proximity sensors hidden on the outskirts of his property had alerted him five minutes prior of a breach in his perimeter. He had armed himself with a modified rifle and took up residence atop one of his tents. He had constructed a flat, covered platform on one of the yurts that provided a high enough vantage for him to see through his rifle's scope all the way to the edges of his turf. He locked his crosshairs on the foremost figure in the trio, narrowed his one open eye through the optics and immediately recognized the cool, even stride. It was Elios's Runner, Trowa.

"It's about time," he muttered as he shifted the crosshairs to the figure to Trowa's right. A dopey-looking, long-haired program was loping along beside Trowa, and behind the pair was another shorter figure he didn't recognize. "Two…?" Wufei mumbled. Trowa had never brought two programs with him on a run before. Though unusual, it wasn't too terribly strange. He would have to make special accommodations for the second program, however. He pushed himself backward and down into the hole at the bottom of the platform, dropping into the yurt. He brushed a wayward strand of his shoulder-length black hair from his face and set his rifle on the table by his own bed, grabbed his long weapon baton and headed out to greet them.

Heero heard the light cycle before he saw it. A blur of black and neon green rushed at them and he reflexively grabbed his disc from his back and took a retaliatory stance, arms raised and ready to defend. As the cycle came near the figure on the back of it leapt off and landed lightly in front of them. The vehicle vanished into thin air.

"Trowa, it's been… almost two months," Wufei calculated quickly in his head as he strode up to greet them. He clutched his double-length bow-baton in his left hand and extended his right to shake Trowa's in greeting. "And you're here with two, that's new. What took you so long? I heard chatter on the stream that they're in pursuit of some programs. You've been stirring up trouble again, hm?"

Trowa took Wufei's outstretched hand and gave it a familiar squeeze. "Maybe that's what took us so long. Sorry to keep you waiting. I know you can't stand to go months without seeing me." He smirked at his old friend. Wufei had been a contact for several years, providing Trowa a safe place to rest when going back and forth on his runs.

Wufei chuckled and shook Trowa's hand firmly. "Well aren't we full of ourselves today?" He cast his dark eyes to Trowa's right at Duo and gave him an appraising once-over. "Interesting, this one has an antique disc."

Trowa followed Wufei's gaze to the braided program. "This is Duo. He's a User." He was straightforward with his friend, knowing they could fully trust Wufei. "And that's Heero… I'm helping him find his way back to Aether. He was injured…"

Wufei raised a thin eyebrow at the mention of a User, his face transforming from amiable to cold in a fraction of a second. "User?" he echoed, his voice hardening. "You've got to be joking." He cast a worried look across the terrain they had just passed over and shook his head. "We need to talk, then."

He pointed at Heero. "You, come with me," he directed in a harsh voice as he spun on his heel and broke into a run, jumped and activated his light bike. It apparated beneath him and slid to a stop. He propped it up with a foot and gestured with his thumb to the narrow spot behind him, his eyes narrowed on Heero. "Get on, we need to get inside."

Heero cast a curious look at Trowa and Duo before obediently following orders. He hopped onto the back of the bike and grabbed Wufei's waist loosely as the cycle shot forward in the direction of the tents.

Trowa shook his head and sighed, pulling his baton from his side to mirror Wufei's escape. He broke into a run and unleashed his light cycle in one smooth motion, swinging around to pick Duo up. "Come on." He waited for the confused User to hop onto the back of the bike before he set off after his friend, not looking forward to the lecture he was going to get for bringing a User back.

Duo didn't much care for the look the new guy gave him, and as he rode up to the camp with Trowa he began to worry for his safety. It seemed that Trowa trusted the guy enough, and he had mentioned that the dude was working with Elios by trafficking programs underground to the Gate, but Duo had got a bad vibe off of that Wufei guy. He had seen his face morph into that of borderline hate as Trowa mentioned that he as a User. He decided to try and keep his guard up until he knew what the guy's problem was.

* * *

Wufei skidded into the camp and dismounted from his bike with Heero in tow. They waited until Trowa and Duo caught up with them before he led them into one of the yurts. Inside the layout was relatively straightforward. It was obvious that Wufei lived mainly in this particular tent. There was a small bed pressed against one curved side, surprisingly clean and tidily made. A table with four chairs sat in the middle of the room, littered with various bits and pieces of technology in various states of repair. The tent was lit by four evenly spaced overhead lights that glowed with bright, cheerful light. The tent's walls were lined with charcoal sketches on crisp, white paper. Most of the drawing were of flowers and trees, which caught Heero off guard. He had seen images of flowers on patterned prints and advertisements in Tron City, but these drawings were detailed and natural compared to the rendered graphics he had seen before. He paused beside the wall immediately to his left and studied a particularly detailed sketch of a vine-like, leafy plant with 'honeysuckle' written beneath it.

"Have a seat," Wufei said tersely as he gestured for them to sit. He began digging around in a trunk by his bed. "I'm sure you're tired. I have some power up bars and booster drinks if you want some," he mumbled as he dug around through the trunk's contents. Eventually he came to the table with an armful of various cans and wrapped parcels. He dropped them on the table before dropping himself into the nearest chair. He watched as Duo sat across from him and eyed the stash hungrily. "How is it possible that you're here," Wufei said to him, his eyes hard and accusing, "the way into the Tron System has been blocked… for as long a I have been compiled, anyway."

"I uh… well um-" Duo started but was cut off by Trowa's sharp voice. "It doesn't matter how he got here. I'm taking him to the Gate so he can return. He's not safe on the Grid." He reached out for a booster drink and casually popped the can open. "Will you be alight with him resting up here?" Trowa knew Wufei's dislike for Users, and because this was his property he wanted to respect the other and get his permission before the group got comfortable. The fizzy liquid hissed in the can and went down Trowa's throat with a tingling sensation. He chugged it quickly.

"Unfortunately you can't continue past the wastes here for another two days or so," Wufei explained as he grabbed his own drink and popped the tab. "The electrical storms are too bad this time of year, and they're fluxing worse than usual. The discharge won't be finished until the system resets," he said with a frown. He sipped his drink and stared at Duo over it's curved edge. He couldn't believe that it was a real User.

Wufei had a conflicted past with the concept of Users. His previous associations were with the group BEING back in Tron City. He had once been a loyal follower of the group when it had been first established. Back then their goal was to transcend life as programs and become part of the outside world, much in line with the quasi-religious teachings of Radia. However after a while the wrong people got into power. Zealots, radicals. Soon everyone in BEING was expected to worship the User as a God, and that sentiment morphed into worship and emulation. BEING wanted to BE USERS, and their plan was to take the God Code from a User - in the event one came. A prophecy had been rumor for a while stating that a User would one day come to the Grid. He could hear the story repeating over and over in his head as he watched the User down two drinks and start to tear into an energy bar.

"You'll have to pardon me, but… " he rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "How the hell did you get here?"

Duo had just shoved half the energy bar into his mouth when the question was directed his way. He looked to his left at Wufei, cheeks puffed out like a greedy hamster. "I zapthed mysellph in?" He mumbled before swallowing. "Ya know, same way the other Users got in."

Trowa set the empty can down and leaned back in his chair, crossing his right leg over his left while he surveyed the scene in front of him. "Wait, so we have to stay here for two days?" _What an inconvenience._ Elios was going to start wondering where he was. Normal runs didn't take this long, but then again, he usually never brought back two programs at once. And never got kidnapped by Outlanders.

Heero looked over his shoulder at them from his spot surveying the sketches. He wasn't very happy about the fact they would be delayed in arriving at the Gate either, but he supposed that he would have to be patient. He had waited this long just to FIND the Runner, he could wait a few more days before he finished his directive.

He crossed his arms over his chest and walked slowly around the perimeter of the room, eyes flitting from one superb black and white sketch to another, his mind wandering to a singular thought. What would happen to him when he was finished destroying the Gate? He had concerns that they would have to reprogram him for something else, or that they may just destroy him once he no longer served a purpose. Suddenly two extra days seemed more like a blessing than a curse.

"Zapped yourself? You mean… like how Kevin Flynn came in? How is that possible?" Wufei reflected aloud. He looked from Trowa to Duo, then over his shoulder at the other program who was nosing around his things. "And you? You're an Aether guard? I've never seen you before."

Heero stopped eyeing a sketch of a pine tree and turned around slowly to acknowledge Wufei. "I was lost during The Purge," he said plainly, having to bring up his planned cover story once more. "I was damaged, I lost my memories."

Wufei sighed loudly and turned back to Trowa. "You've got your hands full, don't you? How is Elios? I haven't heard from him in a while, either. I was beginning to get concerned, thinking maybe D-FILE finally tracked him down…"

"Elios is well." Trowa seemed to calm at the sound of his Master Controller's name. He hadn't really talked about the other during the first half of their journey, but around Wufei the stoic program started to open up. "A follower happened upon some of Flynn's old books and gave them to Elios. He's been happily studying them these last few months. I… am eager to return to him." Green eyes glanced quickly in the direction of Heero before focusing back on Wufei.

Wufei caught the blatant look in Heero's direction. The corner of his mouth perked from behind his booster drink can and he snorted through his nose but decided not to give Trowa a hard time. He didn't know what the look was about, but the expression - though subtle - appeared to have a hint of guilt attached.

"Elios's insatiable thirst for knowledge always impresses me," Wufei said honestly. He gestured to the images pinned all over the walls. "He gave me a few files from the stream he found, pictures Flynn had brought back with him of the outside world. I've been studying them as well," he looked pointedly at Duo. "He'll be excited to see you. I hope you're going to be ready to answer questions. Lots of them. Years and years of built up questions…"

Heero padded quietly across the tent and took the seat between Trowa and Wufei. He took a booster drink from the table and murmured a faint 'thank you' to Wufei before opening and taking a swig of it. He didn't need much in the way of recharge, and his mind was feeling particularly clear today. The only thing he could attribute it to was his impromptu closeness to Trowa the night before. He was beginning to realize that being close to Trowa, while personally satisfying, was helping him physically as well. He hadn't felt this good since he was first compiled.

"I might have some questions for this Elios fella, too." Duo leaned back in his chair and lifted his leg up to put his boot on the table. Wufei's tent-house was pretty comfy. Much better than the makeshift camps they had been setting up the last few nights.

"So you're ok with all of us staying here until the storms clear?" Trowa noticed Wufei was still studying the User closely. "Feet down." He turned to Duo and glared, wanting the other to show some manners.

"Of course you can stay, though I only have two beds. You've never brought two before, but I suppose we can come up with something." Wufei finished his drink and ran his hand through his shoulder length black hair to set it in place before glancing to his left at Heero, who was slowly sipping his drink and studying them each in turn. "I find it odd that you've been missing for so long, but only now are reappearing. Where were you for… how long ago was The Purge? 28 years?"

Heero's eyes widened and he turned hesitantly to Wufei, stiffened his back and began reciting his programmed facts. "I was disabled in a battle, and deactivated in the Outlands. A scrapper found me, and reactivated me," he answered.

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Why would they bother to reactivate you? Why not just scrap you? Take your disc, chop your code?"

Heero sighed and narrowed his eyes on the other program. He hadn't expected to be interrogated. "I don't know why. Something about using me for labor," he lied quickly. Wufei shifted in his seat and rolled his shoulders with irritation.

"Labor for what? Not to be rude, but out here we have to be careful about who we let close to us. I'm sure by now you've learned how rough this place can be. Trowa, did you verify his code?" Wufei tilted his head at Heero.

Duo was back to filling his face. He paused mid-bite and wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Dwood has uh scarr," he mumbled through his full mouth.

 _Shit. I forgot to verify his code._ Trowa looked down at his lap for a moment and crossed his arms over his chest. He'd been so focused on getting the User out of the city that he completely neglected to take the time to check Heero's disc. Trowa never made mistakes like this. Ever. The other program was too much of a distraction. He bit his bottom lip and glanced over at his handsome 'distraction', eyes narrowed slightly.

Wufei raised his eyebrows at Trowa's silent answer and turned to stare Heero down accusingly. "Your disc," he said firmly.

Heero frowned back at Wufei's dark, narrowed eyes as he made his demand. He slowly reached over his shoulder and unclipped his disc from his back and held it in front of him for a moment, unsure who to hand it to. He glanced over his shoulder at Trowa before setting it on the table and pushing it in Wufei's direction.

Wufei took up Heero's disc in both hands and rotated it slowly before activating it's holographic interface. Blue, translucent patterns danced across the disc as it projected them from its side. Wufei's fingers probed and slid through the menus until he found Heero's source code. He ran a search for Aether, and found the "AE" imbedded in Heero's identity sequence. He glanced up from Heero's disc to look at Trowa, nodded an affirmative and deactivated it. He slid it back to Heero before saying, "he's a guard."

Trowa gave a firm nod. "Good. Now that it's settled, you can stop interrogating your guests." He gave Wufei a cautious look, begging the other with his eyes to ease up. The dark haired program should know by now that he could trust his judgment.

Wufei sighed and watched a Heero returned his disc to his back. "Alright, though I must warn you, Duo… " he cast a sideways glance at Duo, "I'm not a big fan of Users. I've had a… complicated past with them."

Duo rolled his eyes and laughed, "no shit, Sherlock."

"... what?" Wufei narrowed his eyes at him, his response only causing Duo to cackle loudly.

"Nevermind," Duo said quickly. "So, what're we supposed to do for two days?" He eyed the items on Wufei's table with curiosity. His inner tinkerer was tingling and his fingers itched to get his hands on some of these exotic looking electronics.

"Kill time, I suppose," Wufei replied plainly.

Duo gestured to a particularly complex bundle of wires and circuitry, "you mind if I take a look at that?"

Wufei's eyes widened and he shrugged casually. "I guess, sure."

"What is this?" Duo asked as he turned the half-assembled blob over in his hands.

Wufei smirked. "A bit."

"... say what?"

"A bit. It's like a personal assistant," Wufei explained as he gestured to it with a hand. "I found that out in the wastes, a trader said it was once attached to someone important. I wanted to see if I could fish information from it."

Duo wiggled in his seat with excitement. "Dude, you need help? I'm hella awesome at this kind of thing," he ranted as he snatched up a nearby mini screwdriver.

"Okay, but if you break it I'll dereze you." Wufei gave the User a smug expression while he watched those foreign fingers move over the delicate bit. Once he was confident the other wasn't going to break the blob, he turned his attention back on his friend.

Trowa and Heero were staring at each other quietly, eyes unblinking as if in some sort of trance. Wufei found that a bit strange. He looked closer and noticed a mark on Trowa's neck. There was a gash, a rough patch of skin where the flesh was bruising. It peeked out from under the other's light suit. "What happened?" He frowned, concern flashing across his dark eyes.

Trowa startled and pulled his gaze from Heero's deep blue eyes, looking across the table at Wufei. "Huh?"

"Your neck. Are you injured?" Wufei was worried. He hadn't considered the fact that they could have sustained injuries while encountering their pursuers. "Why don't you come with me to my supply tent. I have some repair code you can use," he insisted. He pushed himself up to his feet and walked past Heero to grab Trowa firmly by the arm. They clearly needed to talk, without an audience. He pulled Trowa out of the tent by his bicep and across the small triangular opening between the three yurts to the one directly across the way. Once inside he began digging through an open crate for a pouch of repair code. "So what's really going on…?"

"It's not a big deal. It's just a scratch…" Trowa began, lifting his hand up to cup his neck protectively. "We ran into some Outlanders on the way here. They slowed us down." He took a seat on a stool and watched Wufei dig around his supplies. "I'm ok. No casualties…" The other program was going to pry, wasn't he? Trowa looked down, not sure he wanted to talk about this. He just wanted to forget about the incident with Jalen.

Wufei found the repair code near the bottom of the crate. He pulled the white rectangular sealed pouch out, ripped the top and pulled out a thin strip of clear plastic. Repair codes operated much like a real world bandaid did, except when applied it would gradually seep through the skin and repair any damaged cosmetic codes it came in contact with. He ripped off the sticky backing and waited for Trowa to tilt his head to the side so he could apply it to his neck. He smoothed it with gentle pressure before replying quietly, "I'm glad you're alright."

Wufei didn't have a lot of friends in the Outlands. He didn't interact with much of anyone aside from Trowa, traders and the programs they hid as they moved them to the Gate. He knew the nature of their work was inherently dangerous. Trowa didn't seem eager to share any details, so he wouldn't ask him any more about his injuries. He pressed the packet of remaining repair code into Trowa's hand. "You can have the rest, use them as needed," he said, figuring Trowa may have other injuries hidden beneath his light suit that needed tending.

"So what is going on with that guard? It isn't like you not to check his code…"

Trowa put his hand back over his neck, palm covering the repair code. "It was a mistake… After he presented himself to me we were ambushed by some members from BEING. We were in a hurry to get Duo out of the city safely...I was distracted." Admitting his failure wasn't easy, and Trowa looked away in slight irritation by the fact.

Wufei smirked and leaned his hip against the crate. He crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged a shoulder. "Distracted is an understatement," he chided. "What's going on between you two?"

 _Great, so Wufei has noticed it too? It must be obvious._ Trowa sighed and returned his gaze to his friend's face. "I don't know. I don't really know the guy… but we share some unavoidable connection. Being around him is like nothing I've ever felt before. It's like we are drawn to each other…" He was horrible at explaining his emotions. "I feel something for him. I don't know what it is but I need to be near him." With the shrug of his shoulders Trowa slipped off the stool. "Plus, look at him. He's rather attractive."

Wufei's shoulder shook for a moment before his laugh escaped his throat. His eyes closed and his head tilted back as he released the sudden explosion of amusement. "Yes, well, he's 'attractive' enough. I'm surprised, I thought you and Elios had… a thing."

"We do have a 'thing'… It's casual. I can't give him what he wants." Trowa felt a slight pain in his chest as he admitted that, and he looked down at his boots. "I want too, but… I just can't." His relationship with his Master Controller was complicated, and not something Trowa often felt comfortable talking about. "I… He's very important to me. And I'll continue serving him in whatever way he needs…"

Wufei frowned, feeling suddenly bad for bringing it up. He hadn't meant to make Trowa uncomfortable or force him to wear his emotions so openly unless he was ready to. He reached out to grasp his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright. I think that your dedication to Elios is admirable, but I worry about you and what you want." He shrugged both shoulders and released Trowa's with a sigh. "And if that 'attractive' program makes you feel good then why not?"

Wufei grabbed a few packages from the crate and tucked them under his arm. "Now, we need to figure out where to put that User while you're staying here. Sleeping arrangements. I only have two rooms that can be used, and two beds." Wufei cast a serious scowl over his shoulder at Trowa as he made his way out of the tent. "There is NO WAY he's sleeping with me," he said quickly, his voice stern. "I'll take the other program," he added with a taunting smirk.

Trowa snorted. "I have a feeling I'd find him in my bed not long after you fall asleep." He walked out of the tent with his friend as they made their way back. "I'd offer to sleep with you and let the other two have the spare bed, but again, I …. Heero will probably end up in bed with us."

Wufei chuckled and paused just outside of the tent they had left Heero and Duo waiting in. He turned to face Trowa with a small smile. "He's got it that bad for you, huh. Well, I don't blame him."

Meanwhile in the tent Duo had managed to completely disassemble the bit, while Heero sat quietly across from him, watching with a disinterested expression.

"Don't you wanna know what this is called? A nanochromo-thingysomethingIgottagoogle," Duo said as he displayed his working knowledge of electronics to Heero proudly. Heero crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.

"... okay," he replied plainly, clearly unimpressed.

Trowa and Wufei entered the tent in turn. Heero saw that Trowa had a strip of repair code applied to his neck and a soft hint of a smile perked the corner of his mouth.

"You," Wufei said as he jabbed a finger at the User. "The gridbugs will be out soon. Do you want to try some target practice?"

Duo's eyes widened with excitement and before Wufei could say anything further he was on his feet and at the door. "You had me at 'gridbug'."


	8. Chapter 8

"Channel your energy into the baton, and then flick it this way to activate the light sword." Trowa stood back at a safe distance as Duo held his baton up. He raised his hand and flicked his wrist in a sideways motion, demonstrating how to turn the baton into a weapon.

"I can't believe you're lending him your baton." Wufei stood next to Trowa, arms folded across his chest as he watched the clumsy User attempt to activate the light sword. Duo flicked his wrist and the baton went flying, hitting the ground a few feet away. "You're supposed to hold onto it!" Wufei shouted out.

Trowa chuckled. "He won't break it… Besides, we don't have a spare baton laying around."

Heero watched the trio with an amused smirk from a safe distance away. He had found a high stack of storage crates to perch himself on and was sitting with his legs dangling over the sides, leaning forward with his elbows rested on his knees. From his spot he could see everything going on below him; from the tension in Wufei's shoulders to the frustrated frown on the User's face as he scrambled across the ground to pick up the fallen baton.

Duo held the baton aloft again and this time clutched onto it with a firm grip, bit the corner of his lip and focused as best he could. With a flick of his wrist Trowa's purple, glowing light sword came to life in his hand. He bounced on his toes with excitement. "Shit, dude, this is like Mace Windu's lightsaber! Wwwwuuurrrrhhnnnnnn, wwwuuurrrhhhnn!" He swung the sword in a high arc and began making strange noises to accompany the motion.

Wufei took a few steps back from the wildly flailing User and scowled. "Hey, be careful!"

"Who's Mace Windu?" Trowa shared a look with Wufei and watched as his friend shrugged.

"I don't understand half the stuff that comes out of his mouth." Wufei yanked his baton from his side and channeled his energy. He flicked his wrist down and the baton transformed into a staff with bits of green glowing energy crawling along the sides. "Do you know how to fight, User?"

Duo's grin widened so far that it threatened to split his face in two. "Hey, guy, you're lookin' at the nerf sword champion of Dorm 3B, okay. Do _I_ know how to fight?" He got in a goofy stance and held Trowa's sword tightly in both hands, holding it up parallel to his face like a Samurai. "Pssshhh, bring it."

Heero shook his head and resisted the urge to laugh at the User's ridiculous-looking battle stance. The way his feet were positioned his weight could easily be put off center. Sure enough Wufei had seen the flaw, and as they came together for a friendly spar it took the experienced fighter merely seconds to knock Duo onto his ass.

"Hahaha, okay you got lucky there," Duo said with a groan as he pulled himself up to his feet. He tried another, less fantastical stance and grinned. "Come at me!"

Wufei snorted loudly, swung his staff expertly over his head, twisted his body and within seconds knocked Duo's ankles out from under him, landing him on his back.

"How the hell are you doing that?!" Duo yelled, more excitedly than angrily, and scrambled up to his feet again. "Dude, show me!"

Wufei smiled. "First of all, stop putting your feet all awkward like that. Here, like me." He showed Duo a solid, wide stance with his feet.

Heero's gaze shifted from the pair sparring to Trowa, who was standing out of the way with his arms over his chest watching the proceedings with a handsome smirk. He slid off of the crates, landing lightly on his toes, and casually made his way over to stand beside him. He fell into a natural posture, unintentionally matching Trowa's, and crossed his own arms over his chest, his dark blue eyes watching Duo and Wufei as they chattered back and forth about stances. "Purple your favorite color?" he asked with amusement as he eyed the glistening light sword in Duo's hand. It wasn't a color many people used on a weapon.

"It's the color my energy channeled when I first received the baton." Trowa answered without looking away from the two sparring programs. Despite the light blue glow of his bodylines, his output of energy always glowed purple. It was a rare color on the Grid and he often got teased for it. Trowa didn't care. Elios thought the other programs were just jealous.

"I like it," Heero replied honestly. "It's different." He glanced over at the taller program. "I am no good with the sword. Can you fight well with your disc?" He raised an eyebrow at him, the corner of his mouth activating a playful smirk.

Trowa hadn't seen that expression on Heero before and the sheer handsomeness of the other caught him off guard for a second. If programs were able to breathe, he would have lost his breath at the sight. It caused his lips to turn up in a matching smirk and his left brow to arch questioningly. "I'm not half bad. You want to fight me?"

"Yeah, I do." Heero's grabbed his disc deftly from between his shoulder blades and walked to the opposite side of the clearing that Duo and Wufei were currently using as a sparring area. He waited for Trowa to meet him before pulling his left leg back and swiveling his body into a traditional disc wielding battle stance. He looked over the edge of his upraised blade, eyes glistening with amusement, and with a flick of his index finger activated it into battle mode. The black disc erupted with bright, cyan light and it began to hum loudly in his hand. "I'll take it easy on you, since you're injured," he said flatly, though from his expression it was clearly intended to be a taunt.

"Thanks." Trowa said sarcastically, pulling his disc off his back and getting into a matching stance. Even though they were just playing around, he was very much aware of the risks that came with disc battle. The weapon had a lethal sharp edge that could instantly derez an opponent.

It seemed Heero was letting him take the first move. Trowa pulled his arm back and then swung it forward with force, releasing the disc from his fingers with precise timing. The disc flew to the right, ricocheting off a tall obsidian rock before changing it's course for Heero's head.

As Trowa's disc whizzed at him Heero managed to raise his own disc up to block its trajectory. The other program's weapon bounced off of his disc with a sharp, loud crack. As Trowa's returned to him Heero ran at him, ducking low, moving at amazing speed. Just as Trowa's disc returned to his hand Heero was upon him, swinging and slicing his own brightly glowing disc at his arms and torso, disc slamming into disc, forcing Trowa to step back beneath his attacks.

Duo and Wufei stopped their little lesson at the sound of light discs clanging and buzzing together, watching side by side from the sidelines with stunned expressions. Heero was going insane, at least it appeared that way. The shorter program was dancing around Trowa, barely visible behind the blurs and arcs of light his disc left in its wake. Trowa was on the defensive, blocking every quick attack Heero was throwing at him.

Trowa could barely get an attack move in, he was too busy using his disc as a shield. He figured he could tire Heero out if the other program kept up at this pace, and so he waited for the slightest lag in the other's movement before he made his strike.

When it was clear that Heero's energy wasn't going anywhere Trowa tried another tactic. He blocked a strike aimed at the side of his face, grunting and grinding his teeth as his eyes locked onto his partner's. While Heero was momentarily distracted Trowa slid his foot out and tripped the other.

Heero couldn't believe that Trowa had used his gorgeous face as a weapon against him. He landed hard on his back and dropped his disc. He watched as it clattered across the dark ground just out of reach. Trowa had stopped attacking him, perhaps assuming that he had won, but Heero wasn't ready to give him his victory. He wouldn't win against him so easily. If Trowa wanted to play dirty, Heero would give it to him. As Trowa deactivated his disc Heero looked up at him from his laying position on the ground, grinned and swung his legs, knocking Trowa's feet out from under him. As the taller program fell Heero rolled onto his side, pushed himself up to a crouch and launched himself at him, grappling him to the ground and knocking his disc out of his hand.

Duo snickered and gave Wufei a sideways glance before muttering, "those two will do anything to have an excuse to fuckin' touch each other."

Trowa hit the ground hard but didn't let that stop him from retaliating. He wrapped his long legs around Heero's waist and attempted to roll them over so he could take the dominant position. He twisted his hips and arched his back against the cool ground to help pivot his body, managing to get the shorter program on his side. Their hands fought against each other, each trying to grab hold of the other's wrists and pin them.

Trowa was strong, but Heero was stubborn. He wasn't going to let him win. Or, at least, he was going to go down fighting. Trowa's muscular thighs were crushing him as he tried to pull out from beneath them, the other program's long fingers fighting to pin his arms. He smiled at the challenge and, using his smaller stature, managed to wriggle his body to the side despite the hard grip of the other program's legs, lunged his upper body against Trowa's torso and knocked him away and onto his back. With the taller program's long, constrictive legs still wrapped around his waist, he grabbed Trowa's arms and tried to hold them over his head, pinning the long, lean torso beneath him with his own body. The sight of Trowa's green eyes wide with surprise made him laugh. He hadn't sparred with anyone before, aside from simulation dummies at D-FILE, and he was thoroughly enjoying the challenge of battling a real program.

With his wrists pinned above his head and the other's body looming over him, Trowa realized he was in a rather submissive position and doubted he'd be able to roll Heero over again and regain dominance. He looked up at the other, lips parted as he contemplated defeat. Trowa hated defeat. His back flattened out against the ground and he could feel Heero's body slide down against him. "You win." He murmured, legs still firmly wrapped around his captor.

For some reason those words coming from the other program were the sexiest thing Heero had heard in his existence. His face grew uncomfortably warm and he suddenly became very aware of the compromising position they were in. Trowa's legs were so tight around his waist that it forced his hips hard against him, and as his mind went to the place they were pressed together his hips moved forward involuntarily forcing his light suit clad semi-conscious arousal against the parted cleft of Trowa's ass. His fingers twitched against the his wrists and his eyes shifted focus down to a mouth that he suddenly felt an urgent need to cover with his own. As he leaned forward to kiss him his hips shoved deeper into him, his shorter torso forcing Trowa's to bend and curve beneath his. His lips were a hair's breadth away from making contact-

"GET A ROOM!"

His eyes snapped to his left and the chilliest of glares locked onto the User, who was watching from nearby with his hands on his hips, a smug look on his face. Wufei was in full face-palm.

His back painfully arched off the hard ground while his hips pushed up into Heero's. Trowa's voice was soft but forceful. "Heero..." He ignored the User's comment, already lost in his sudden lust-filled state. When their hips rubbed again Trowa moaned seductively. If his hands weren't still restrained he would have taken hold of the other's chin. "Kiss me…"

 _Oh my fucking User…_ Heero gawked down at the program under him as the Runner's normally stoic expression transformed into a lusty, sensual and almost pleading face. The face, the moan and the hard shift of Trowa's hips sent his mind into a furious frenzy. He froze, unsure what to do. He knew he couldn't deny the request, but the fact they had an audience was a distraction. He grit his teeth in frustration, growled through them and powered through his discomfort at being watched. He wanted to claim those lips, and he wasn't going to let the antics of the User stop him.

He released Trowa's arms and wrapped his own around the sides of the other program's face so that his bicep and shoulder effectively blocked the rough, open-mouthed kiss he dropped onto the other's waiting mouth. As their lips came in contact a shock of energy blasted up his spine, forcing a pins and needles sensation to cover his entire body.

"OW! Shit! What the hell?!" Duo's voice yelled irritably as he was being roughly dragged into Wufei's yurt by the braid.

The same sensation was happening to Trowa's body and it caused him to moan into Heero's mouth. He felt his control quickly dissolve, unable to stop himself from reacting in a sultry way. His hips started to move in slow, tantalizing circular motions against Heero's, brushing their covered arousals together. Now that his hands were free they wasted no time in attaching themselves to the other program's back, fingers gently running up and down the lean frame until a hand came to rest at the base of Heero's head, tugging on the soft hair there.

Heero's eyes rolled back and fluttered as he warred with himself, trying to find the resolve within himself not to fuck the other program into the grid matter under them right there and then. Trowa had him wrapped around his finger, and he was trying desperately to grab hold of his self-control. It was slipping through his fingers, however, as he firmly and rather suggestively dug his hips into the other program's.

 _Tonight…_ he tried to reason with and promise himself in an attempt to rein himself in. _I am going to fuck him tonight_ , he decided as he broke the seal of their mouths and pulled away from him, shoulders trembling. "Later…" he said through gritted teeth. "I'll make you mine."

* * *

"Hey, our target practice got cut short thanks to you two." Duo was lounging in a chair, feet propped up on the table when a bemused Trowa and Heero entered the yurt.

Trowa ran a shaky hand through his hair and averted the User's annoyed gaze. The realization of what had just happened out on the practice field made his face heat with embarrassment. _But I still want him…_ He decided putting some distance between them would help him cool down. Trowa moved to the other side of the room, giving Heero some space.

Heero scowled at the User but didn't dignify his statement with a response. Instead he took a seat beside Wufei at the table and tried to appear interested in the pile of metal and wires that he was tinkering with. "Get that bit working yet?" Heero tried to change the subject.

Wufei shrugged a shoulder and tossed down his screwdriver in frustration. "No, I'm starting to think it's fried and irreparable."

Duo was still smirking at Trowa. He raised an eyebrow at the fact that Trowa was blatantly avoiding Heero. He felt sort of bad for giving them a hard time, it was clear they were both struggling with something when it came to one another, but he didn't know how else to deal with their awkwardness aside from to poke fun at it. He unhooked Trowa's baton from his hip and held it out to him. "Thanks for lettin' me borrow this. When I get back to the island I'm definitely going to try to replicate that thing. I could corner the market if I could make a real life lightsaber, ya know?"

"I _don't_ know." Trowa attached his baton back at his side. And took a seat next to Duo. He leaned over and grabbed one of the energy bars off the table. The fight with Heero had taken a lot out of him, and he wanted to make sure to regain some strength by hibernation time, especially if Heero kept his promise to 'claim him'. His face heated again at the thought and he looked down at his lap while he ate quietly.

"Island?" Wufei looked over at Duo while he set the uncooperative bit down.

"Yeah, little floaty bit of land on a giant ocean of water! Well, okay, so it isn't TECHNICALLY floating, but that's more geology than I wanna talk about…" Duo blew his messy bangs from his eyes and smiled as he recalled home. "As much as I like hangin' out with you cool bros, I really can't wait to get home. Cool waves, hot sand, a margarita in my hand," he said the last part in a cheerful, sing-song voice. "Yo, 'Fei, you wanna come?"

"It's 'Wufei'… and I don't think that is possible." Wufei didn't know what a margarita was, but the way the User voiced it made it sound alluring. "If your home is so great, why did you come here?" If Users lead such great lives, why visit the grid?

Trowa reached out and grabbed the discarded bit off the table, examining it. He wasn't the best at fixing up scraps, but he was curious.

Duo shrugged and gave Wufei a devious look. "Why does anyone go anywhere new? To explore. To seek out the great unknown, right?" He gestured grandly with both hands and laughed. "Little did I know that fucking everything here is absolutely miserable. I shoulda went to Australia instead. I'd rather sleep with the dingos than stay here longer than I have to. I mean, how can any of you be happy living here? It's not like you're … ya know, free."

Heero stared at the User as he ranted on about User knows what.

Trowa looked up at Duo. They really weren't free, were they? The concept of being completely free was foreign to him. He'd always belonged to someone else, his life's directive programmed into him at creation. That's how it was for all programs. That's how it was for all life on the Grid… What would he do if his life was his own and he truly was free?

"You're not making any sense," Wufei said irritably as he rubbed the back of his head and narrowed his eyes at Duo. "I'm free. I was originally a system's maintenance program, and because of Elios I quit and came to answer my own calling. It is possible to be free to choose here, but unfortunately if you do you are outcasted."

Heero frowned at this conversation as it began to mirror his recent thoughts concerning his purpose and his future. He ran his tongue across his lower lip, still catching the slightly sweet flavor left behind from Trowa's mouth, and shrugged the tension out of his shoulders as he crossed his arms over his chest. What was he going to do now? He glanced over at Trowa as he toyed with the broken bit and wondered what would happen once he destroyed the Gate. It was clear that Trowa was dedicated to his Master Controller. Heero knew that derezzing Elios would be inevitable. He was, in essence, the Gate. What would happen to Trowa once Elios was gone? What would happen to this - the connection he was forming with the other program?

"Yeah, but that's what I mean," Duo said as he shifted his weight in his chair. "You guys don't have real freedom. Sure, you can decide not to do the job you were made for, right? But what kinda life is living out here, in the dark by yourself, with nobody and nothin' to do but doodlin' shit you'll never see?"

Wufei snarled, clearly feeling attacked. "Then what would you suggest, mister Wikipedia?"

Duo grinned at the reference and scratched the side of his nose with his index finger. "I dunno, why don't ya all come with me? Like… to the User world?"

"No way." Wufei said sternly.

"I cannot leave Elios." Trowa set the bit down and frowned at the thought of leaving his Master Controller. He couldn't and wouldn't do that. His entire life had been dedicated to protecting Elios and carrying out his wishes. Life without the other would be pointless. _Am I just thinking this because I am programed to do so?_

Duo frowned at the seriousness in Trowa's voice, and watched as Heero narrowed his eyes from across the table but said nothing. "Nobody is sayin' you gotta leave anyone. He can come, too."

"He can't leave… The Gate can only be stabilized from within. Elios is stuck here and I must stay with him." _He is the Gatekeeper_ , _he is part of the Gate._ Trowa's voice was calm but his mind was racing at the thought of leaving the Grid.

"You might as well give up." Ellios owned Trowa. Wufei shot Duo a look that said not to press too much further on the topic, but he saw the curiosity bloom in the User's violet eyes and had a feeling more questions were to follow.

Duo was surprised at the tension that was building in the room. The way Heero was looking at Trowa was making him feel like he struck a chord in the formerly glitchy program. "Hey, you look better than you did before," he said as he projected his thoughts aloud. "You haven't been stutterin' or anything," he added as he eyed Heero curiously.

Wufei was watching him with his keen, analytical eyes and Heero shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I do feel better," he admitted. It was true. He hadn't felt this strong, clear-headed or energized since his compilation.

"What was the problem before?" Wufei asked, his eyes locking with Heero's.

"He was all twitchy and shit," Duo supplied. "Dude passed out in the jet."

"He had a system overload." Trowa pointed out. "Like me, he has trouble resetting." Why did Duo keep bringing this up?

Wufei looked from Heero to Trowa and back again. Something seemed fishy.

Heero didn't enjoy being the topic of conversation and he quickly sought to change the subject, "When are we leaving from here? And how long before we make it to the Gate?"

"We can't leave for two nights." Trowa sighed. "We have to wait for the storms to pass. And then we have one more day's trek to the hideout. It won't take long since we'll be traveling with a light runner."

Heero nodded at Trowa's information while Duo grinned at them. "So what is the Gate supposed to be, anyway?" Duo asked, being nosy. "Is this Elios fella like the Wizard of Oz or something? Does he just wave his hands around and like a portal shows up? Or it is like that Stargate shit, with like a giant structure?"

Wufei's eyebrow twitched.

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about." As usual, Trowa wasn't getting the references. He didn't bother answering Duo's question. He wasn't going to give details out about the Gate. The tall program stretched his left leg out and leaned back in the chair. "Do you have any other questions or are you done?"

Duo sighed. "Man, you guys sure are grouchy today, I was just tryin' to make small talk," he said, his expression almost hurt. "Forget about it, huh? I'm beat. Where am I sleepin', or are you gonna make me sleep outside in a doghouse or somethin'?"

"I only have two beds." Wufei stated. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this, but you're sleeping with me tonight." He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Trowa, you and Heero can take the spare room. But if the User starts acting strange, I'm sending him over to you."

Trowa nodded. "Understood." He got up out of his seat as well, glad the Q&A session was over.

"Oh, God, don't send me over there," Duo said quickly as he watched Heero get up and wordlessly head for the door of the yurt. "I don't wanna get in the middle of that action, someone's bound to get hurt." He chuckled to himself before waggling his eyebrows at Wufei.

"So, you wanna be the big spoon, or the little spoon?" he asked with a wink. Wufei groaned with irritation and cast a 'you owe me big time' glance at Trowa before pointing a finger at the User.

"You will stay on your side of the bed, and you will not cross the pillow barrier, is that understood?" Wufei said coldly, his jaw set tightly. Duo snickered and shrugged a shoulder.

"Yeah, well, we'll see. I've been known to BREACH a few barriers…"

* * *

Heero was happy to get out of there, having avoided any more questions about his condition and his origins. He thought the User was too nosy for his own good. He followed Trowa out of the yurt and through the shadows to the one diagonally right of Wufei's. It was clear that Trowa knew this tent well, and he watched as the taller program deftly unhitched the latches that kept the tent's stiff flap closed without even looking at them before he slid inside.

The inside of the structure was similar to Wufei's, but lacked the personal touch the other yurt had with images on the wall and Wufei's personal effects strewn over was a twin-sized bed with dark grey sheets in the center of the room and a simple nightstand to the right of it. Two windows lay directly across, the view looking out onto the dark horizon of the Outlands.

Trowa walked over and started to untie the curtains. Once they were down he headed over to the docking station on the nightstand and took his identity disc off. His stomach was in knots now that he was alone with the other program, and he silently tried to still his anxiety. Flipping his disc on its side, Trowa selected his light suit code and with the flick of his finger disabled it for the evening. The dark second skin pixelated off his body.

As Trowa's light suit gradually vanished from his body Heero saw the long, lean musculature of the other program's fully exposed back and felt his fingertips itch with anticipation. He slowly approached him from behind, taking notice of the occasional faint bruising on the other program's arms and the insides of his legs as he drew closer. He pressed both of his index fingers to the parallel, illuminated cyan lines on his shoulder blades and ran his fingertips lightly across the smooth flesh, watching as the other program's tight muscles squirmed under his touch.

"Don't be nervous," he said softly, noting the tension in Trowa's shoulders.

The light touches on his back sent electric shivers down his spine. "I'm not." Trowa lied, putting his disc on the dock and snapping it into place. He looked over his bare shoulder at Heero and noticed his slick light suit was still covering his body. "Are you leaving that on?"

"No," Heero replied plainly. He pressed the entire front of his body against Trowa's back, the light suit's thin membrane forming a barrier between them. He reached back to unclip the identity disc from his back and reached around to offer it to Trowa. He saw the other program hesitate before taking it and turning it over in his hands. "You do it…" he murmured before dropping a light kiss against the warm flesh of Trowa's bare shoulder.

Trowa closed his eyes when he felt those soft lips on his skin. He mentally prepared himself for what was to come, knowing fully well that he'd lose control and have to be ok with that. The blue lines on his body pulsated slowly in response to Heero's closeness.

Trowa took a few moments to gather his thoughts, before opening his eyes again and flipping Heero's disc over. He made quick work of finding his partner's light suit code and disabling it. As the pixels moved down the shorter form, removing the final barrier from between their bodies, an indescribable sensation washed over Trowa's system. He leaned his head back against Heero's and slowly reached out to put the blue and black disc on the dock next to his own.

As his suit vanished from his body Heero felt Trowa's skin warm against his own, and found himself leaning further into the taller body in front of him, his body melding to the angular lines of Trowa's back, and the soft, firm curve of his tight ass. He shuddered involuntarily as a wave of golden energy swept over his body. His hands glided around Trowa's sides to begin exploring the now exposed front of his torso. The rough, flat pads of his fingers rubbed across his stomach, raced up to his chest and found his taut, hard nipples. He ran his thumbs softly across their tips before pressing his palms hard against Trowa's chest, pushing him backward into himself.

"I've wanted this… ever since I saw you at that bar," Heero admitted, his voice trembling. He was already hard, and his hips rocked his newly formed erection firmly against his body. He tilted his head and breathed into his ear, "tell me you want this."

Trowa could feel Heero's thick erection against his upper thigh and the curve of his ass. He grabbed one of the roaming hands from his chest and slowly moved it down his body, past his abdomen and down to his eager arousal. "I want this… I want you."

Every fiber within him ached for Heero, every nerve begged for his attention. Trowa had never been on the receiving end during sex, but he couldn't stop thinking about Heero fucking him hard and rough, pushing in to the hilt and truly claiming him as his own. He wanted his partner to mark him up. It was like his body automatically became submissive whenever the other touched him and it was maddening. This was dangerous. He was becoming distracted again…

Trowa pushed the nagging voice to the back of his head, not caring anymore if this was a distraction. He needed this, he'd never felt this way before. It wouldn't be fair to not explore these feelings, this connection with Heero. And right now he wanted to be fucked so badly that every logical thought in his mind was silenced.

Heero took Trowa's admission as words of permission, and now he would no longer hesitate to do as he pleased. His hand grasped the other program's arousal with firm pressure and he gave it a slow, careful caress. He felt it grow and harden against his palm, it's length curving up towards Trowa's navel. Heero pulled Trowa into his own body, his lips pressing softly against his ear before traveling down the side of his neck, pressing warm kisses around the repair code patch. The hand on Trowa's chest slid up his to neck and grabbed hold of his chin, continuing to pull him backwards until the other program's entire weight rested against him, his long and lean back arched and flexed back to allow him access to his handsome mouth. He kissed him roughly as he continued his slow exploration of his cock with his nimble fingers.

 _I'm starting to lose control, already._ Trowa moaned against the rough kiss and bucked his hips forward, creating sweet friction with the warm fingers wrapped around his shaft. He brought a hand back behind his body to grasp Heero's firm ass and gave it a hard squeeze. Trowa pushed his tongue into his partner's inviting mouth, coxing Heero's out to play.

"Hmmmnnnn…." Heero groaned into Trowa's mouth as his partner's tongue teased his lips. He lapped his own tongue against the intruder, the corners of his mouth perking playfully at the sound of the other program's frustrated moans. He sparred Trowa's tongue, forcing it back into it's owner's mouth, and abruptly broke their kiss.

"Bed," he managed through a tight throat. He swiveled both their bodies around and pushed the other program roughly over and onto the bed, knelt beside it and pinned his new lover's hips down to keep him from moving. He used the palm of his free hand to slide up the back of Trowa's thigh, his eyes studying the embedded cyan light lines as they went up his legs, tracing their path. He leaned down and began to lick straight edge of the line that plunged down Trowa's back with the tip of his tongue, following it's path across the dips at the small of his back and downward, slowly dragging across the fine curve of his ass.

"Heero…" Trowa shuddered, digging his hands into the sheets as the hot tongue ran along his skin, awakening every nerve it massaged. He wanted so badly to touch the other, to explore his body and burn every detail into his mind. His fingers pulled at the soft fabric, nails scratching along each thread impatiently. "Let me touch you. Let me look at you." Trowa commanded. Up to this point, Heero had been getting a lovely view of his backside. Trowa desperately wanted to turn around so his eyes could drink in the sight of that perfectly compact body. His lips longed to touch every inch of Heero's flesh.

It occurred to Heero that until he had met Trowa nobody had ever called him by his name. D-FILE only referred to him by his ID code. The sound of his name purred so seductively by the other program finalized his arousal. He would do anything for him, follow any command, as long as he called him by name.

The thought of D-FILE brought his directive back to the forefront of his thoughts. It sobered him for a moment, overriding the wash of intense and confusing feelings he had been experiencing since their initial meeting.

If he did this now, would he be going against his directive? Was this just another way for him to get Trowa to do as he pleased? It was now clear that he had complete control over the Runner, and the thought was unsettling. For the first time he was starting to feel guilty for using him.

 _Trowa is the Runner, he's not my target,_ Heero reminded himself. _What I am about to do here has nothing to do with my directive,_ he reasoned. This was personal. This wasn't work. He was going to finally allow himself to have personal connections, despite the warnings by his creators not to. Those warnings were not orders, and they hadn't been encoded into him. He was free to do as he pleased.

He pushed himself to a stand and carefully grasped Trowa's shoulder to roll him onto his back, being careful not to come in contact with any of the residual damage left behind from their encounter with the Outlanders. After the taller program's body was situated he crawled on his hands and knees up the length of him until they were nose to nose. The closeness forced the light lines that traced his torso to begin to glow brighter, as if illuminated by the very presence of the other program. His erection dragged against Trowa's stomach as he settled over him.

"Okay, then. Touch me," Heero replied.

They could rush this or they could take the rare opportunity to fully enjoy their alone time. Trowa's body ached to be fucked, but he wanted to slow down and savor this. He brought his hands up to Heero's shoulders and ran them down his chest and torso, noticing how the bright bodylines reacted. He studied them closely, fingers and eyes trailing over each glowing mark. And then it suddenly dawned on him. His light lines perfectly mirrored Heero's. "We have the same pattern."

Heero's eyebrow raised at the statement and his eyes snapped down to inspect Trowa's torso, and then his own. He was right. The shining lines of cyan light across their arms, torsos and legs were mirror images, perfectly aligned.

"How is this possible?" he murmured, his confusion dripping from his voice. Light lines were individual signatures, much like a fingerprint. It was unheard of to have two programs with the same pattern. Unless… his head began to ache before he could completely form the thought. His eyes squinted against the sharp stab of pain that formed behind his eyes. "It feels like there is something missing. Something else… " he knew he wasn't making any sense.

Trowa felt it too, unable to explain the matching light lines or the intense feelings for one another. He kept telling himself that he'd talk to Elios. Maybe Elios would know what was going on. He moved his warm hands down to Heero's hips and gave them a light squeeze. "It's like we're the same… but different. My body knows you, but my mind doesn't."

Trowa had described it perfectly. Heero had been immediately drawn to the other program from the moment he had seen him. Having no prior experience with lust or physical attraction to that degree, Heero had assumed that the magnetism between them had been only that. Now he knew better. Clearly there was more. He could feel his anxiety, his pain, and sense his energy when he was near. The matching lines on their bodies, while surprising, weren't really that shocking a revelation. It was just another clue among a growing list of shared peculiarities.

Heero wanted answers, but the need for them wasn't urgent. Regardless of the reasons why - he still wanted Trowa for himself. The fact that they were perfectly matched only fueled this need.

"Who is Elios to you?" he asked suddenly. He hadn't meant to bring it up now, but if he was going to commit himself to exploring Trowa, he wanted to know what the other's connections were. It was clear that the Runner was loyal to his master, but how deep did that commitment run? "What… is he to you?" Heero rephrased.

Their bodies were so close that he couldn't fight the sucking, gravitational pull Trowa's being had on him. He dropped the length of his body against the lean, muscular form beneath him, his own weight sinking the firm muscles and taut sinew deeply into the bed. The now familiar tingling warmth of the other's energy began to seep through his skin and spread across his body.

"He's my Master Controller. I live to protect and serve him." Trowa looked up at the other, reciting the words that had been programed into him. He watched Heero's expression sour, and knew the other wasn't pleased with that vague answer.

Trowa ran his fingertips up Heero's arm and bit his bottom lip before giving it another try. "My relationship with Elios is complicated. I serve him… in any way that he wants." He wasn't sure if that was the answer Heero was looking for. "He's very special to me. But we're not… committed."

Heero's expression had indeed soured, but not for the reasons Trowa may have assumed. The fact that Trowa was so attached to the Gatekeeper was posing a complication that he hadn't anticipated. If he allowed himself to care for Trowa, he knew that he would have to inevitably hurt him. His directive involved him killing someone important to him.

 _This is why they told me not to form attachments,_ Heero thought with frustration. For a moment he considered stopping this now before it got any more complicated. _Is this worth the trouble?_ His eyes locked with Trowa's. _Is HE worth the trouble?_ He felt a sharp ache banging at the inside of his ribcage, and to his surprise the soothing tingle that emanated from Trowa's body became more intense. It felt like an invisible hand was running over his chest, massaging the pain away.

 _I need him. He's worth everything._

His wants and needs overrode the questions stirring up his confusion. He decided that for once in his existence he was going to be selfish and do as he wanted. He didn't want to think about the risks anymore. He didn't want to consider the consequences.

"You're very loyal," he murmured, his face closing the gap between them to cover Trowa's tense lips with his own. _But I'll make you loyal to me…_

Fingers tangled in the messy brown locks at the back of Heero's head as Trowa deepened the kiss, opening his mouth obediently and letting his partner's tongue slide in to spar with his own. His entire body seemed to welcome the shorter frame laying on top, arms and legs wrapping tightly around Heero and pulling him as close as he could. The tingling sensation that grew the longer they touched helped relax his nerves, and soon Trowa was kissing and touching his partner eagerly. He hooked his ankles over Heero's lower back and leveraged himself against the mattress before pushing up to rub their hips together in a slow, repetitive motion.

Trowa was losing his sense of control again, letting himself go as the warm feeling spread through his body like a wildfire. Elios quickly slipped from his mind and all he could think about was the mysterious program hovering over him. Heero filled his senses and commanded his full attention. Being close to the other was like a drug, and Trowa was addicted.

 _Is this what love feels like? Am I… in love?_

Every caress and sensuous rocking motion up into his body only strengthened Heero's resolve. He had never felt this aroused in his existence, and he wanted nothing more than to be as close as possible to this other program. He returned Trowa's grinding of hips with his own rough push, rubbing his now searing hot arousal against his, firmly signalling to him in a lusty pantomime just what he intended to to do him. He steadied his body with a hand planted into the mattress beside Trowa's head while the other explored and mapped every dent, curve and perfect line of the other program's body.

His tongue slid over the top of Trowa's, teasing and encouraging him to come deeper into his own mouth. He closed his eyes, no longer able to look at his new partner. There was something reflecting in Trowa's eyes just then that made him feel like the other was seeing right through him. He didn't want him to see what was really inside. He didn't want him to know how dishonest he was.

He broke their kiss with a gasp and hung his head to avoid his gaze, his dark hair blocking his expression. "Please…" he gasped, his voice low and hoarse. "Let me feel you … from inside."

Trowa reached up and ran his knuckles gently down Heero's cheek, looking at him with a smirk on his swollen lips. "I've never bottomed before." He returned his hips to the mattress and spread his legs out wide as he spoke, letting Heero's arousal settle between his thighs. "Are you sure you can handle me?"

Heero felt him shifting beneath him, saw his legs prop open and found himself staring down at the pink, lush smirk that had illuminated Trowa's mouth. His body was tense, his shoulders quivering with anticipation. _Was he serious? But didn't he say…_

So his relationship with Elios didn't include him being dominated in this way?

"I… this is my first time with all of this," Heero replied, his voice hesitant. He slid his hand down to cup Trowa's ass with a firm grip, is index finger seeking the place he would enter him. He found it quickly and slowly forced the tip of his finger against him, slowly, excruciatingly breaking the tight barrier. "I'll try my best," he murmured, his dark blue eyes locking with his. The cyan lines on his body began to pulse and glow brightly, flickering and pulsing with his building anticipation. "You're… so tight. Tell me if I'm hurting you," he added. "Unless… you _want_ me to hurt you."

Trowa closed his eyes and tried to relax his muscles as Heero's finger intimately explored the inside of his body. He ran his trembling hand up and down the other's spin and moaned. "Hurt me… Don't hold back." It felt like they had waited so long for this moment. Trowa wanted Heero to give it his all and do as he pleased with his body.

Heero paused in his insertion at the mention of hurting him, and something within him balked at the idea. _I could never hurt you…_ his mind supplied automatically. He scrunched his nose in confusion, wondering what had prompted that thought. It felt as if there was an echo in his mind, instructing him, informing him and prompting him on what to do.

He realized his finger was halfway in Trowa's body, feeling the intense tightness and heat of the other program. How did he even know to do this? It was like his body moved on it's own.

 _Just… I don't want to think anymore,_ he scolded himself. Why was he so self-aware around him? Trowa's moans, his tensing, his hand on his spine seemed to aid in his direction. He twisted his finger inside him slowly, feeling the other program's body respond by gradually loosening. He started adding his second finger, slipping it slowly to accompany the first, pausing to plant encouraging kisses along Trowa's slightly bruised jaw as he waited for him to become accustomed to the feeling. His own arousal, impatient and throbbing, rubbed slowly against the hard muscle of his inner thigh.

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered against his skin, his mind racing, repeating the sentiment over and over again. "To hurt you is to hurt myself," he reminded him.

Trowa tilt his head back on the sheets, exposing his neck and jawline to Heero's fevered kisses. He let out a soft moan as the fingers moved gently inside of him, his hips starting to rock upwards to meet them. "I think I'm ready for you…"

Heero was more than ready. Trowa's voice and the lilt of his moaning was beginning to put him into a frenzy. His entire body was hot and aching with tension. He carefully removed his fingers and grabbed the insides of Trowa's thighs with both palms, pushing his legs further apart and up to tilt his pelvis at a more accessible angle, and held him there, marveling at how unbelievably flexible his body was.

 _He's perfect,_ the thought accompanied the fact that no matter what compromising or awkward position he happened to force Trowa's body into, he still looked stunning, composed, and uncannily seductive. His stomach was curled, his impressive and thick erection lying flushed and frustrated against the creases of his abdomen. He was the most beautiful thing Heero had ever seen. Trowa's eyes were half-lidded, lips parted and bright emerald eyes were locked onto him while his sleek eyebrow raised slightly, waiting for him to act.

He couldn't make him wait any longer. He reverently guided his own aching arousal down against the upraised curve of his ass and entered his prepared body, forcing his eager erection down into his enticing heat with a steady thrust until he was buried deeply inside him.

He couldn't move. His fingers clenched hard against the backs of Trowa's thighs as his body tried to adjust to the almost painful tightness and searing heat of the other program's body. The lines on Heero's body were blinking and pulsating in a wild series of flashes and flickers, and his shoulders trembled as a shock wave coursed through his torso, and sharp, stabbing pains erupted across his chest. It was like he had a raging thunderstorm brewing within him.

He bit his lower lip and moaned, eyes staring down at the point where they were so intimately connected as if in disbelief. He had never felt this kind of pleasure before, and yet everything about this exchange felt strangely familiar. It was like a dream. He frantically looked up at Trowa, caught his gaze and felt as if his new lover shared the same thought.

He leaned hard against his body, clutched his thighs to keep them pushed up and widely parted, and started the arduous task of _showing_ Trowa just how he felt about him.

The feeling of being stretched and completely filled overwhelmed all of his senses, and at first Trowa couldn't decipher between the pain and the pleasure. He grunted at the intrusion and pushed the side of his face against the sheets, hands dropping to the mattress with a thud as he clenched and unclenched them into fists. His knees shook and he struggled to keep his legs wrapped around Heero's waist while the other pushed firmly into his body over and over again.

Slowly, with each powerful thrust, the pain ebbed away and an intense wave of pleasure coursed through his veins, rushing straight to his fully aroused cock. Trowa threw his head back and cried out loudly, unable to control himself. The sensation of flesh sliding against flesh was electric and hot as Heero's near-bruising grip firmly held his thighs apart so he could slam into him with accelerating speed.

 _This is what it feels like to be claimed… I don't want it to stop._

Heero's body was on fire. He no longer had any doubts, any hesitation about what he was doing. His previous concerns were buried deep beneath the roiling waves of intense, electric pleasure that now consumed him.

Each thrust into the tense, quivering body under him forced Trowa's voice from his throat. Its gradual crescendo only served to fuel Heero's actions, spurring him on, making him want more of it. It wasn't enough. Just _seeing_ him and feeling him from inside wasn't completely satisfying him. He wanted more. He needed to kiss him, bite him, taste him. He lunged forward and devoured his mouth, mixing his lover's moans with his own, continuing his steady, firm rhythm as he continued to glide in and out, hips moving on their own accord. Trowa's arousal was pinned against his stomach, he could feel it's heat nudge against his stomach. He propped himself up with his left hand and plunged his right between their twisting, writhing bodies to grasp his hard length with a firm but gentle grip. He began stroking him slowly at first before increasing his attentions until his manipulations perfectly matched each inward thrust.

Heero was incredibly close to climax. He could feel his thoughts beginning to clarify, his mind began race. He felt like he was overclocked, hyperaware of every detail around them. The cool air in the yurt against his back, the comforting warmth of Trowa's body stretched out beneath his own. The pulse of pleasure with each pump into the tightness of the program under him. The faint twitch and throb of Trowa's cock in his hand. The vibrations of Trowa's moans as they settled into his own throat. He was processing it all.

Each moan was swallowed up by the heated kiss until Heero's wet mouth pulled away and moved to Trowa's neck, attaching itself with a sharp bite. Trowa's lips, red and swollen from their assault, were no longer being held captive. They parted to let out a series of loud whimpers and frenzied cries of ecstasy, piercing the cool night air.

"Unnn…UUH! AH!"

His motions were frantic as his hands clawed at Heero's back and shoulders, the muscles in his legs, ass, and abdomen were starting to tighten and tremble. It felt like they were elastic bands being tugged in the same direction, towards his core. He whimpered as the build of anxiety made his entire body shake with anticipation for release. The tip of Heero's engorged cock suddenly hit a spot within that sent Trowa's body jolting off the sheets, electricity crackling against his skin. The darkness behind his eyelids exploded with bright neon light, every thrust, and every pump of the hand setting off an explosion of stars.

Trowa was practically jumping from the bed as he came in contact with a spot deep within him. Each thrust forced his lover to jolt, cry out and inch away from him across the mattress. He could feel small, pinching shocks exploding between their bodies as built up static electricity began to discharge against both their skins.

As Trowa jumped with each thrust Heero lost contact, so he grabbed his lover roughly by the shoulders and, without breaking their connection, yanked him up to quickly reposition him straddling his waist. He wrapped his arms tightly around his body and pinned him against his torso to keep him from recoiling as he continued to enter him as deeply as he could, seeking the spot within him that made his lover's voice jump from his throat so beautifully.

He was losing control. He hugged onto him as tightly as he could, trapping Trowa's cock between their bodies, and buried his face against his collarbone, lips brushing his chest, moaning softly through gritted teeth. He couldn't hold back any longer. His eyes burned, his muscles ached, and his spine tingled as electricity zapped up and down his back, illuminating his normally cyan body lines with white, hot light.

"Tr… trowa, I'm… " he didn't get a chance to finish that sentiment. He crushed him within his arms and buried his face in his chest, slammed his hips up into him and groaned. His thoughts cleared, his previous worries and concerns deleted as he lapsed into a hard reset.

Trowa's body fell limp as he followed his partner into a hard reset. While his mind cleared and his energy reserves started to fuel up, his system wasn't used to this and it took him a second to regain consciousness. His head rolled forward, lying against Heero's shoulder. Sticky warm ejaculation slid down his thighs and Trowa made no move to get off Heero's lap. His eyes were closed and his swollen lips parted to say something, but nothing came out.

Heero felt reborn. It was the only way he could describe it. Despite the fatigue from their impassioned exchange he felt completely renewed, as if his internal slate had been completely wiped clean. He couldn't remember a time when he felt this good.

His palms slid down Trowa's back, his eyes closed and he nuzzled the slight indentation in the center of his chest, reveling in the warmth he felt there. He was happy. He felt that positivity without any guilt. He didn't care, this was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to him. Trowa was the most amazing program he had ever met. He pulled him closer, tightening his arms around his waist and tilted his head to kiss his jaw, his cheek, his shoulder.

"You're amazing," he whispered.

Trowa blinked and lifted his head, suddenly snapping out of it. He looked down at his new lover, eyes wide as he let the warmth spread into his body. "What just happened?" His nerves still tingled and he noticed that his system was feeling better than it ever had, fully alert and functioning smoothly.

"I don't know," Heero admitted with a quiet murmur, his eyes tilting up to regard him with deep affection. "I think I reset. Do you feel … clearer?" He didn't know how else to put it.

Trowa leaned in to press their foreheads together. "Yes…" He felt more connected to the other program in a way he couldn't explain. There was a second digital pulse beating within his body, and it quickly synced up with his own, matching its rhythm perfectly like they were one. A smile spread on his lips and for the first time in a long time he felt happy and content.

Trowa had the most stunning smile Heero had ever seen. His eyes widened at the sight of it, drinking the image in and searing it into his memory. He lifted a hand to caress the side of his face, ran his fingers through his hair to move his bangs from his eyes so he could really look at him.

"You're mine… " he said, his lips betraying him and speaking his thoughts aloud.

Trowa laughed and pressed their lips together in a quick kiss. "Maybe..." His hand snuck down and stole one of Heero's from off his hips, entwining their fingers together. "We'll see." His tone was teasing, but deep down Trowa knew that yes, he belonged to the other. There was no denying it anymore.

Heero frowned against the kiss and stared at him with a stern expression. He gripped his hand with his own. "You laugh… but I'm serious…" the corner of his mouth perked into a half-smile and he playfully grabbed Trowa's hips, pinned him against his body to keep him from moving and tipped onto his side, his softening erection still inside him. He laughed and nudged his hips against him, his cock slipping deeply into his cum slick insides. "You can deny me all you want," thrust, nudge. "But now I've claimed you."

"You better stop before you start me up again." Trowa bit back a moan and kept his eyes focused on the dark prussian blue ones in front of him. "We should … hibernate…" The smallest of moans escaped as Heero thrust into him again.

"When I get you back to Aether… what will you do? Will you stay?" Trowa's expression was serious this time.

Heero frowned and resisted the urge to bite his lip at the question as he was suddenly reminded of his directive. For a moment he wanted to tell him everything. Tell him his directive, why he was created, what he was planning to do. Maybe he could run away with him after he destroyed the Gate?

… no. He answered his own question. Trowa had more than once expressed his loyalty to Elios. He couldn't tell him. He knew Trowa would try and stop him. _What am I going to do…_

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked, avoiding his gaze.

Trowa hooked his finger under Heero's chin and lifted it gently so he could look in the other's eyes once again. "Yes. You can… stay with me. With Elios." He searched those blue eyes, wondering what Heero was thinking. It was clear something was on his mind. "Stay with me…"

"We'll see," Heero repeated Trowa's previous statement back to him and resisted the urge to frown at the sight of the other program's curious gaze. What little peace and emptiness of thought he had experienced right after his reset was now beginning to fill with memories of his directive. _I can't lie to him and say yes,_ he thought sadly. _Because it won't be possible. Not after I destroy the Gate._

He carefully disengaged himself from Trowa's body and when the other gave him a concerned look he leaned in to kiss his downturned mouth reassuringly. "Thank you for helping me. I've never had a friend before…" he confided, his voice forced flat. "Thank you."

"Yea. No problem." Trowa noticed the change in Heero's mood. _Did I do something wrong? Maybe I misunderstood his intentions…_ He stretched his long body out on his side of the bed, giving the other some space. "We should hibernate." Grabbing one of the pillows, Trowa pushed it under his head and closed his eyes.

Heero frowned as Trowa pulled away from him, but didn't try to stop him. He felt the familiar guilt and inner turmoil that accompanied any positivity about the other program slowly seeping into his thoughts, forcing its way into any optimism he had for his future.

 _I'm a weapon_ , he reminded himself. _I need to stop playing games. Pretending like I can have any of this._ He didn't say anything else, instead turned to face away from him on his side and curled his body as he grabbed the covers and pulled them up to his shoulder. He closed his eyes and tried to hibernate, but his mind was racing, his chest was throbbing. _Don't touch him. You're just leading him on._ He felt like shit.


End file.
